Finding Happiness
by caseyjsaisi
Summary: Takes place after the movie. Ever since he was trapped in a snow globe thanks to Private, Dave feels like his fate is a curse. But everything changes when the little girl who found him, begins to notice his unsure feelings and emotions. She lends him a hand on seeing a new life that he would never imagine in his entire life.
1. Prologue

**_This would take place after Penguins of Madagascar._**

 ** _Dave and other Penguins Of Madagascar characters belong to Dreamworks Animation._**

 **Finding Happiness –**

 **The Continuous Chapter of Dave's Life**

To all of them, it seemed like the earth started to shake.

THUMP!

Agent Classified turned his head.

"Huh?"

THUMP!

The polar bear Corporal turned his head.

"Huh?"

Short Fuse gasped!

A cricket chirped in confusion.

"Huh?"

The penguins trembled in fear.

Suddenly, a giant purple tentacle rose over the New York skyline. And then, another!

And out of nowhere, a giant Dave appeared!

"Ramirez!" cried Skipper.

"Dave" Kowalski corrected him.

"Dave!"

The octopus laughed evilly and ran toward them. No one can stop him now!

But then...

OOF!

Dave hit an invisible wall.

He wasn't a giant at all. Thanks to Private, he has been made cute by the reversal of ray and he's trapped _inside_ one of his snow globe!

"What?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" yelled Dave.

The snow globe fell off the duct tape and landed in Skipper's flipper. Dave moaned.

"Dave. Ohohho, look at you." said Skipper.

Slightly panicked, Dave looked around his new surrounding and then turned to Skipper. He didn't like this, not one little bit.

"You think it's over?" Dave asked. "I'm just getting started. I'm about..."

As he ranted on, Kowalski leaned to Skipper.

"What do we do with him now?" he asked.

Rico opened his mouth and tried to eat the snow globe, but Skipper pulled him away.

Then, a voice said "Aww" like the sound of a kitten.

Skipper and his team turned to see a little girl. She eyed the snow globe with a bright smile.

But, Dave didn't notice. He was too busy ranting at Skipper.

"Open this right now!"

Skipper didn't hesitate to say "Here you go, kid."

He tossed the snow globe to the little girl. She gasped in surprise.

Dave was surprised himself, he hasn't been near a human child up close in his entire life when he was out of his Dr. Brine disguise.

"Cool!" the girl said.

But, Dave didn't move.

He was afraid of being rejected or what this girl would do to him. Then, she did something unexpected.

She had set a finger on the snow globe's glass. Touched and for some reason, Dave reached a tentacle and placed it on the same place of the girl's finger.

 _All this time, I didn't need revenge_ , thought Dave. _What_ _I needed all along was... love._

"I hope you find happiness, Dave" said Skipper.

But did you know what happened next?

The girl took both hands on the snow globe's base and started to shake it up and down.

"It's snowing, it's snowing, it's snowing, it's snowing!" she cried, running off with the snow globe.

Dave couldn't believe it. For the first time, he's rediscovered love from this girl. But now, she's playing rough!

 _ **What will happen to Dave now? Will this young girl be nice to him?**_

 _ **To be continued..**_


	2. Dave's Escape Plot

_**This takes place after the encounter in Battery Park.**_

 _ **And just to keep you excited, there is a couple of surprise characters from Madagascar and it may not be who think it is.**_

 _ **Dave belongs to Dreamworks Animation.**_

From the minute the girl arrived home with her parents, Dave was scared to death. He was sure that he would be a goner if she hadn't stopped shaking the snow globe ten minutes ago... and a half.

He wanted to scream, to yell, to cry for help, but he knew that humans cannot understand animals like him. If only he hadn't thrown away his translator-like microphone during the mutant penguin spree, then he could be able to talk to the child into leaving him alone.

The apartment the girl and her parents live in wasn't so big and it wasn't so small. It wasn't even big for an old lady with thousands of children who all lived in a shoe. It was a normal, wealthy, small place. Clean and tidy like any other house in the Big Apple, only this house looked and felt like a fancy, luxury house for a small family. On the outside, the apartment was dull and boring. But on the inside, the apartment was a beautiful, luxurious home.

"Home at last" said the girl's father.

"Yeah" said her mother. "What can be better then this?"

Just as her mother kissed her forehead, the girl run off.

She walked into her little bedroom. It was pink all over the walls, even her bed sheets and blanket was pink. And just like the rest of the house, the bedroom was very luxurious. Then, she placed the snow globe on top of a wooden desk and giggled.

"I hope you like it here" she said.

Dave was very confused. He looked around the home with big, curious eyes. How can an animal killer live in a magnificent home like this?

Then, the girl walked out of the room.

Dave sighed in relief and said "Finally, she's gone!"

He paced back and forth and around the snow globe. Just when he had an idea, the girl came back in with her mother.

"Mommy, do you have to go?" whined the little girl.

"Oh, honey" her mother said, in a soft, smoothing tone. "I know Daddy and I won't be home for a while. But, we have to help your Auntie Flora. And our neighbor will be here to take care of you while we're gone. We should be back before you go to bed."

The girl giggled. "Okay, Mommy" she replied.

 _Neighbor? To babysit?_ Dave thought to himself. Suddenly he had an idea.

"That's it!" he whispered to himself. "This would give the kid some time to leave me alone. With her busy playing with the neighbor, I'll knock the snow globe off the desk and when it shatters, I'll be out and I'll escape the apartment. I've got to get out of here."

Just then the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" said the girl's father.

He answered the door to a short old lady, Nana and her pet, a seemingly innocent, small white dog who goes by the name Mr. Chew.

 _ **Dun, dun, daaahhhh! - Belt, The Croods**_

 _ **Sorry that this chapter is short, but there should be more when the next chapter arrives soon.**_


	3. Friendship Love Blossoms

_**No one likes to see anyone, especially animals, cry. Sometimes animals can be like us human, they have sad emotions but they don't have to shed tears to cry. I hope you're prepared to see a turn of events.**_

 _ **Dave, Nana and Mr. Chew belong to Dreamworks Animation.**_

* * *

The girl hugged her parents tight as they went out the door.

"Bye, Mommy Bye, Daddy. I love you!" she called out.

The little old lady placed a hand over the child's shoulder.

"Now, dear" she said, "Tell Nana what you would like to do."

The young girl wasn't quite sure. She liked Nana like a grandmother because she was the only person who could back her up when in danger and she was the only one her parents could get in contact.

"Hmm, maybe we can... cook supper?" the girl asked nervously.

Nana seemed like she was going to refuse and lose her temper on the poor girl, but then she picked up a bowl and a cookbook from the counter behind her.

"Oh, why not" she said, nodding. "We start supper."

"Yay!"

They started cooking supper, which was the girl's favorite meal: Shepherd's Pie. It took them hours to make and bake, but they took a break whenever they were tired. While the girl watched her favorite show, Nana knitted. Mr. Chew didn't even bother the girl. And then finally, dinner was served. Nana took the time to eat some of the pie with the girl.

"Nana?" the girl asked.

"Yes, child" Nana answered.

"Is it true that you beat up a lion?"

"Well, dear. When that bad kitty attacked me twice, I knocked him in the cojones. I warned him 'Next time I won't go so easy on you!'."

The girl was the only person who knew of Nana's beating up on lions. But she knew better not to abuse animals which reminded her of her little cute octopus in the snow globe.

 _Maybe I should check on the cute octopus after supper_ she thought to herself. _Just to see if he's okay._

But meanwhile in the girl's bedroom, Dave was banging on the snow globe glass furiously, hitting against it. He was ready to break the snow globe so he can escape.

"This is it" he said. "No turning back."

The octopus threw his body at the side of the snow globe, moving it a centimeter and accidentally hitting his head.

"Ow!" yelled Dave.

Outside the bedroom, Mr. Chew raised his head. He barked at where the sound came from.

"Mr. Chew!" Nana shouted. "No one is there!"

The girl started to worry of what was going on in her room.

Dave slammed his body at the globe again, moving it another centimeter towards the edge of the desk.

"Yes!" Dave exclaimed in excitement. "One more time and I'm out of here in a flash."

But then, he heard growling.

"Uh-oh."

And there he stood in the doorway, a snarling Mr. Chew, angry and ready for the kill.

The small dog jumped on the bed and started barking at Dave.

"Nice doggy. Nice doggy, big doggy" Dave whimpered in fear. "Leave me alone. I don't wanna be octopus stew."

Then, Mr. Chew jumped on the desk, knocking everything off. He bared his teeth and attempted to break the snow globe with his teeth.

"No! DON'T EAT ME! AAAAH!" Dave screamed.

The vicious dog was almost close to breaking the snow globe. But Dave slammed forward as much force as he could. The snow globe flew out of Mr. Chew's mouth and went flying off the desk.

The girl caught the snow globe before it could hit the ground. Dave gasped in surprise.

"Hi" she said. "That sure was close, wasn't it?"

Dave shrugged his shoulders, that is if he had shoulders, and sighed in relief.

Then, a voice screamed loudly.

"AAH! MR. CHEW!"

Seeing the mess, Nana advanced on Mr. Chew.

"What is all this?" she screeched. "Bad dog! You are in a big TIME OUT!"

Mr. Chew whimpered and turned toward the snow globe, barked at Dave again.

The girl finally yelled at the dog. "Mr. Chew! You leave this cute little octopus alone NOW!"

Dave was frightened of her scream and he inked inside the snow globe, turning the water dark and murky.

Mr. Chew yelped and ran off in fear.

Nana cleared her throat and calmed down. "I'll be back, child" she said. "I must control my dog." She walked away and went after her dog.

The girl giggled and placed the snow globe back on the desk. Inside the snow globe as the ink cleared, Dave had calmed down.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked.

Dave nodded with a quivering lip and watering eyes.

"You scared me" the girl said in a worried tone.

At this point, Dave became afraid of her as she put her face close to the globe. "I don't know what you did, but you could have got hurt!"

Dave then started crying and he sunk to the bottom of the globe, curling himself away from the glass and wrapped his tentacles around himself.

The girl was shocked. She has never frightened any animal all her life, expect Mr. Chew whenever he misbehaved.

"Cute little octopus" she cooed. "I'm sorry I scared you. Please don't cry. But, Mr. Chew could have-"

But, Dave moved to the side of the globe, still crying.

"No, please. I was just trying to tell him not to eat you."

Really scared, Dave hid behind the New York City figurine. The girl then realized something.

"You really _are_ scared of me. Because I shook the snow globe and I 'scoldeded' you. Like a monster."

Dave didn't respond to her, trying to wipe his hurting eyes.

"Look, little guy. I can't help be excited and happy about snow globes. I love snow. I easily forgot you were inside. It's not your fault. It's mine. I'm just a kid at five. But I really, really want to help you. I just wish you could understand that I _really_ love you."

Dave's eyes widen in shock. _Love? Did she just say love?_

The girl placed a finger on the snow globe's glass, just like in the park. Having stopped crying, Dave swam in front of the figurine and placed a tentacle on the same place of the finger.

The girl smiled warmly.

Feeling like his three hearts are about to burst, Dave slammed his body against the snow globe and fell into the girl's arms.

"Aww..." she said. "Does that mean you forgive me?"

Dave nodded his head happily.

The girl hugged the snow globe. Dave placed himself against the glass, right close to her.

* * *

 _ **Wasn't that just precious? A blooming of a new friendship.**_

 _ **Get ready for what will happen next.**_


	4. First Night

**Here we go, on another chapter. Sorry it took so long to update.**

 **Dave belongs to Dreamworks Animation.**

* * *

Things were getting better for Dave.

Nana and her dog, Mr. Chew left as the girl's parents returned home. But most importantly, he has found a new friend in the sweet little girl.

"She's not so bad" Dave said while the girl was fast asleep in bed. "She's so understanding. But she's ahead of her time. How could she understand my feelings if she's only five?"

He paced back and forth inside the snow globe. Then, he had an idea.

"I can talk to her in sign language! That's it!" he cried, before cupping his mouth and almost waking the child.

"If the chimps taught me how to sign. She can understand me better. It's like people always say 'don't underestimate the importance of body language.' It must work. It must, it should."

He couldn't stop thinking of his idea how to communicate with the sweet girl.

Just as he could memorize his sign language, Dave fell into a deep asleep. He knew he wasn't going back to his revenge. The past was in the past. And whatever the Penguins did, he wished he could have thanked them. But by now, they were either sent home by the North Wind or they went home on their own. It doesn't matter now, it would take him years to earn his enemies' forgiveness for what he has done to them.

He hoped that he would be able to communicate with the girl who understands his emotions for some reason. But for now, he was getting started on a new life he hoped for. Only it was something he never imagined.

His revenge is over.

 **Again sorry for the long wait.**

 **Get ready for the next chapter, where things might get crazy!**


	5. Indoor Camping

_**Sorry it took so long to update.**_

 ** _Dave belongs to Dreamworks Animation._**

 _ **A OC character, Gabi is made up by me.**_

 _ **P.S. since the little girl obviously didn't have a name in Penguins of Madagascar, I thought I'd give her one.**_

* * *

He knew it was time. The time to communicate with the girl through sign language.

"Well, if Mason and Phil taught me sign language during closing time at the zoo" Dave said to himself, "I might be able to talk with her."

Since he couldn't talk to humans, Dave knew that sign language was the only way he can 'talk' with any human he comes in contact with.

Unfortunately for him, the girl was going camping with her mom and her best friend, Gabi. Her father was working for a whole day, so it was a girls day.

"Okay, girls. I'll make a list of all we need for our camping trip." said the girl's mom.

"All right, Mommy. Can Gabi and I check them off?" the girl asked.

"Sure" her mother answered. "All right, flashlights for the dark."

"Check" said Gabi.

"Fresh water."

"Check" said the girl.

"Tent poles and ropes"

"Check"

"And last but not least, food like sandwitches and s'mores"

"Check!" said the two young girls.

"Good job, girls. Looks like we are ready."

Dave was curious about what they were doing and where were they going.

He remembered the time when he and his minions had to camp out underwater and postpone their penguin kidnapping when the submarine ran out of gas and was stuck in the middle of the New Orleans, surrounded by hungry alligators until they were able to send someone to get gas.

"Ariel, honey, make sure to grab what you need."

Dave was surprised to hear the name of his new friend.

 _Ariel_ he thought. _What a beautiful name for a little girl._

Gabi placed sleeping bags into her own backpack and Ariel's.

"Almost ready, Ariel?" asked Gabi.

"Almost" Ariel answered. "Just gotta get something."

Dave was wondering what Ariel was talking about, but he was too bored to move to see what's going on.

Suddenly, he felt like he was being picked up.

"Huh? What's going on?" Dave asked.

Suddenly, he was placed near a backpack and Ariel smiled at him.

"Hi, buddy. Ready to go to camp with us?" Ariel asked.

Dave nodded his head "yes", but deep down he felt like that the woods was no place for him where he is stuck inside the snow globe.

"Girls!" Ariel's mother called.

"I just received the news that it's gonna rain tonight."

Gabi groaned in frustration. But, Ariel had an idea.

"Mommy, since it's raining, can we camp here? Please?"

"Yes, please?" Gabi asked.

Ariel's mom couldn't help but chuckle at her daughter and Gabi's begging faces.

"Sure" said Ariel's mom.

"HOORAY!" the girls cheered.

Dave was relieved that they were camping indoors.

He would have been frightened of the wild animals that wanted to have him for dinner or if he fell into the river.

"Oh, I hope I can find a chance to say something to her." Dave said to himself. "I know. I'll get my chance if her friend isn't talking to her."

He knew that Ariel does have a friend, but Dave didn't want to take away her time with Gabi. He hoped that his chance to "talk" with her would come soon.

* * *

 _ **Stay tuned for the next part.**_


	6. A Beautiful Night

_**Sorry for the long wait.**_

 _ **Dave belongs to Dreamworks Animation.**_

Later as day turned into night, it started to rain. But inside the apartment, it was nice and warm for three happy campers.

"Okay, girls" said Ariel's mother. "Are you two comfy in your sleeping bags?"

"Yeah!" answered Ariel and Gabi.

Suddenly, thunder roared from outside. The girls screamed and hid under their sleeping bags.

"That was scary" said Gabi.

"I hope Daddy is okay at work" said Ariel, worried.

"Oh, honey, where it's damp and muddy at the mill yard, I'm sure Daddy and his friends went to a building where it's dry" her mother replied.

"For all we know they might be over at Mickey' Dees, having burgers and soda."

Ariel and Gabi giggled at the thought.

Dave, on the other hand, was recovering from the girls' screaming.

If there's one thing he hates more than flashing lights, it was high pitched and loud sounds that could damage his hearing.

But, he didn't have room to move. He was still stuck inside a snow globe.

Ariel picked up his snow globe and showed him to Gabi.

"Wow!" she gasped. "Who is this?"

"This is my octopus friend" said Ariel. "I found him after the monster penguins attacked. The penguins gave him to me. I don't know why."

"He is so awesome!"

Dave tried to remain calm, but he smiled as he could and trying hard not to fret.

"Is he ever coming out of the snow globe?" asked Gabi.

"I don't know" answered Ariel. "I'm worried about somebody will try and steal him."

"Ariel, I promise you, nobody is gonna take him away" her mother said.

"Thanks, Mommy"

"But... how is he gonna eat?" asked Gabi, worried.

Ariel wasn't sure and turned her head towards her mother.

"We'll find a way" her mother answered.

Then, the girls turned their heads towards the window.

It stopped raining to reveal a beautiful night sky. The moon was bright and the stars were twinkling.

"It's beautiful" sighed Gabi.

"Wow!" Ariel gasped in awe.

"Yeah, what could be better than this?" asked Ariel's mother.

Dave sighed.

He has never seen a wonderful night sky in a long time. But, he was still concerned of how his life will turn out in the end.

"It doesn't matter now" Dave said to himself, feeling confidant.

"What matters is I'll find my chance to communicate with Ariel."

He curled up against the glass and watched as shooting stars flew across the night sky and went into the distance.

The last thing Dave saw was the north star, Polaris, shining brighter than the others, and then he fell into deep sleep.

 _ **To be continued...**_


	7. A Morning of Chaos

_**Dave belongs to Dreamworks Animation**_

* * *

It was morning when Dave woke up.

"Oh, boy" moaned Dave. "I slept like a rock."

He stretched his tentacles and yawned loudly.

Then, he heard loud footsteps.

 _Is that...?_ Dave thought to himself. _No, it couldn't be the boys. They either ran away or were taken away by the exterminators_.

He turned his head to see that Ariel was eating breakfast.

"Good morning, cute little octopus" Ariel smiled, talking with her mouth full. "Did you sleep well?"

Dave silently nodded his head.

As soon as Ariel swallowed what was in her mouth, she giggled and gently tapped on the snow globe, getting Dave's attention.

"Hey, wanna see something?" she asked.

She blew large bubbles in her cup of milk.

"Ariel Hara, no blowing bubbles in your cup" laughed Ariel's mother called from the kitchen.

Dave smiled at the laughing child, it cheered him up a bit.

He remembered the time when he was young and he used to play with his brothers and sisters until he was rescued and taken to the Central Park Zoo after he accidentally got caught in a large fishing net.

"I just hope she will understand me" sighed Dave.

Outside the window, something was approaching the apartment.

"What is that?" asked Ariel, nervously.

Then, the young girl ducked for cover and the object crashed into the room.

When Ariel got up, they went to see where the object crashed.

But to her surprise, it was no where to be seen. But, someone or something has just entered the apartment.

Dave suddenly felt like his blood ran cold as he heard some familiar voices.

"Bhhbh Bhhbhhhbhhh?" (Boss? Are you in here?)

"Oh, no" whimpered Dave.

"Bhbhhbhhhbh!" (Boss!)

It was his henchmen, they were looking for him!

"Not here! Not now!" Dave said, almost whining.

Ariel was panicking as she hid under the covers of her bed and Mrs. Hara ran into the room.

"Ariel! What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know" Ariel replied.

Then, two octopi broke out of their camouflage from the bedroom walls and surrounded the Haras.

"What the heck is going on here?!" screamed Mrs. Hara.

Dave was scared. He made a decision to himself that he was staying with Ariel and he was gonna keep that decision.

But, he then realized that he couldn't fight his own henchmen physically. He was _still_ inside the snow globe.

"Ugh!" groaned Dave. "What am I gonna do?"

"Bhbhhbbhhbh!" said one octopus. (Take the boss!)

An orange octopus snatched the snow globe containing Dave from the window sill.

"Give him back!" shrieked Ariel. "He belongs to me!"

But, the octopus ignored Ariel and ordered his comrade to harm her.

"No! Please!" Ariel cried as the octopus minion advanced on her.

Seeing this, Dave growled in anger.

"HEY!" he yelled as loud as he could.

The octopi stopped where they were, with shocked looks on their faces.

Finally, Dave spoke to his henchmen in a very angry, but firm tone of voice.

"Gentlemen, I have never known fine, loyal henchmen you boys turned out to be, but I am done being the bad guy. I'm staying here. If you harm Ariel, then you will become my enemy. And so will anyone who stands in my way. Understand?"

The octopi gulped nervously and backed away, nodding their heads.

Ariel didn't understand what was happening. But, poor Mrs. Hara was still shocked to find that there are wild animals inside her apartment.

"Now, you put me down and leave the child alone" ordered Dave, not done with his former henchmen. "And DON'T EVER LET ME CATCH YOU HERE AGAIN!"

The octopi did as they were told; they placed Dave on the drawer and they didn't lay a tentacle on Ariel or Mrs. Hara.

As soon as they slammed the window shut, everything was back to normal.

Then, Ariel approached Dave.

"I don't know what happened, but whatever you did, that was awesome" she said.

Dave blushed, and then his skin turned pink. He was embarrassed.

However, the snow globe was tipping over the edge of the drawer. It fell and crashed onto the floor.

Ariel gasped in shock.

"Oh, my gosh!" she cried. "Are you okay?"

"Don't cut yourself, Ariel" said Mrs. Hara, concerned.

Ariel carefully picked up Dave from the shattered mess. Then, she noticed that one of Dave's tentacles was bleeding. Blue blood slowly oozed from the swelling tentacle.

"Oh, no, you've got a cut" gasped Ariel. "Don't worry, little guy. I'll help you."

Dave was surprised to hear of what he just heard. She was going to help him, even after he has done to her kind by scaring the daylights out of the people in New York with mutant penguins.

In the bathroom, Ariel placed Dave on the sink and took out a washcloth.

"Now, hold still" she said in a gentle voice.

Dave was nervous, trying to ease the pain without moving too much. He winced when the water touched the cut.

"Sorry" apologized Ariel.

It took some time and patience until Dave's tentacle was wrapped in bandages. He felt much better.

Throughout the day, Dave was given the love and attention he has been craving for so long; he was loved and fed by Ariel.

He allowed her to play with him, though it took them a long time to clean up the watery mess Dave made whenever he climbed out of a tiny glass jar she placed him in.

That night when it was time for bed, Ariel placed Dave in the jar for the night.

"Good night, buddy" she whispered. "See you in the morning."

Dave yawned and sunk to the bottom of the jar, falling into a deep sleep.

 _Hopefully, tomorrow_ Dave thought to himself. _I shall try to communicate with her after playing with her_.

 _ **To be continued...**_


	8. Dave Speaks

_**I'm really sorry for the long wait. You know with the holidays coming, it's a pain.**_

 _ **Happy 64th Birthday to John Malkovich (the voice of Dave)**_

 _ **Dave belongs to Dreamworks Animation**_

* * *

The next day, Dave was trying to adjust himself in his new, little "tank" that Ariel placed him in yesterday.

"I'm finally free! Free! I'M HAPPY!" he shouted in victory. "And yet..."

He stopped in mid-sentence. He knew something was wrong.

"Now... what?" Dave asked himself.

"What I can do with this new life other than thanking Ariel? And when I do, what will she say? I feel so... empty."

Sighing, Dave sunk to the bottom of the jar.

"I'm such an idiot. I don't know why Skipper and his penguins would do this to me." he said

"I almost mutated penguin kind and even after what I've done to them, they throw me towards a little girl who nearly killed me, but then starts to pity me. But, why?! I wish I knew."

Finally, Ariel entered the room and gave him a fried chicken leg.

Dave's eyes widen in surprise.

 _What the...?_ he thought to himself _She wants me to eat_ _ **that**_ _?! Some sort of large fried food? It's ludicrous!_

"Here you go" said Ariel. "Sorry, we don't have fish, but that's all we've got for now"

As soon as she left the room, Dave carefully climbed out of the jar and gently touched the chicken.

 _Well, better this than nothing_ Dave thought to himself.

He took a tiny bite of the chicken.

"Mmm! This is better than fish" Dave said to himself.

He quickly dove in and started eating the rest of the chicken.

* * *

That afternoon, Ariel had returned home from playing with Gabi and their friends in Sheep Meadow, but her parents fell asleep due to a long day of work.

She was worried that if her parents forgot about the dinner they had planned to do.

Suddenly, she heard a crash and a voice.

"Aah! Oh, jeez! It burns!"

Ariel gasped.

"Did Mommy and Daddy bring a visitor?" she asked herself.

Nervous, Ariel ran into the kitchen to find the refrigerator open and a shattered bottle of Jalaeño hot sauce.

Ariel frowned at the shattered bottle, but then looked inside the refrigerator and realized that someone has stolen shrimp from them.

"Oh, no" she whispered to herself.

Then, a loud grunt was heard.

It was coming from her own bedroom!

Afraid but calm, Ariel took a broom from the side of the kitchen stove and walked cautiously toward her bedroom door.

She slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

No one was there, but someone was talking to himself.

"Oh, nothing like a refreshing ocean food for a large meal! This is the life."

Ariel frowned.

 _Whoever that is_ Ariel thought to herself, _I'm gonna tell my mommy and daddy_.

"They think I would suffer in a snow globe? No. No, no, no! I'm just getting started."

Not wanting to wait any longer, Ariel opened the door and turned on the lights.

"Leave my family alone, you big bully!" she cried.

But, it wasn't a thief.

It was Dave, with shrimp near his jar of water!

"AAAH! I DIDN'T DO IT!" he jumped in surprise, with a mouthful of shrimp.

Ariel shrieked and fell to the floor.

Dave was shocked. He spat out the shrimp from his mouth.

"Did those words come out of my mouth?" he asked before he cupped his mouth again.

"Are you kidding me?! This is a visual and visceral betrayal. I need to stop it before she hears more from me."

Ariel got up, her blue eyes wide open and her mouth open.

"You're talking!" she cried.

Dave tried to be innocent and imitate what he would normally sound to other humans.

"Uh... Bhhbhbh Bhhhbh?"

"No. You can really talk."

The small octopus sarcastically rolled his eyes. He knew the jig is up.

"Oh, we can talk, but animals do not have the gift of gab toward humans. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Then, he slurped the last shrimp into his mouth.

"How are you talking?" Ariel asked.

"I don't know. Unless..." Dave gasped. "OH! Maybe it was the shooting star on the night you girls had that sleepover."

"The shooting star?"

"Yeah. I must have made a wish in my head that I could have the chance to tell you something. And now... It's happening!"

Ariel was confused.

"You don't understand what I'm talking about, do you?" asked Dave.

"No" Ariel replied.

"Well, normally animals don't talk. But, your babysitter's dog was gonna kill me! 'I'm having octopus stew tonight! Yum yum!' And if you haven't saved me, I would have been soup a la octo. So now that my wish has unexpectedly came true, what I'm trying to say is thank you. Yes, thank you for your kindness."

"Oh, y-y-you're welcome" stammered Ariel, still surprised of the talking octopus in front of her.

Then, she sat on her bed as Dave was trying to clean up his mess.

"I'm talking to a cute little octopus" she said to herself.

"Cute? You think I'm cute?" Dave asked her.

Ariel nodded.

"Well, I'm not really cute" he replied. "I'd actually prefer clever, or maybe even charming."

"You're a strange octopus" Ariel giggled.

Dave chuckled at Ariel's comment and threw the shrimp he chewed on into the trash can down on the floor.

 _I think it's time she should know the truth_ he thought to himself.

Then, he slowly approached Ariel and gently spoke with her.

"I may seem strange to you. And why is that, Dave? I wasn't like this to begin with. I was seen as a monster. Everyday in my entire life, everyone take one look at me and scream 'AAH! Horrible sea monster! Help! Police!' It's a dark, cold nightmare."

"No" cooed Ariel. "That's not true. You don't look like a monster."

"I'm sorry. It's just that... Your eyes ask too much. The reason I mention I am a monster is because those penguins ruined my life and the humans around me would..."

His voice trailed off, those horrible memories that caused him to be evil in the first place.

"I'm not going to cry" Dave warned himself, but his voice began to break and build up with fear.

"I'm not going to cry! I'm not going to cry! Don't cry!"

The cute octopus slammed a tentacle on the desk and sunk to the ground, sobbing bitterly.

"Even for a common sea animal, I have no one to look up to. Nobody loves me! At all!" Dave whimpered. "Oh, God. What did I do to deserve this...?"

Ariel couldn't just help, but feel sorry for him.

"Hey, it's not that bad" she said, calmly.

This didn't help Dave at all, he pressed his head against the surface of the desk and sobbed even harder.

"Oh, please don't cry" Ariel cooed. "I didn't mean it that way. I didn't understand your life was bad. Do you wanna go home?"

"I don't have a home anymore" Dave sobbed. "I lost my home in the Central Park Zoo to those four penguins! They ruined me!"

Ariel didn't understand completely, but she could tell what Dave has been through.

"I'm sorry you had a bad life, but I'm sure it will turn okay in the end" Ariel answered with a smile.

"Really?" Dave asked, brightening up to Ariel's comfort.

"Yeah" she replied. "I could help you in anyway I can and if you wanna go home to the ocean, I can do it."

Dave wiped his tears away and smiled.

"That's sweet of you" Dave sniffled.

Then, Ariel gently picked up Dave and tried to hug him, but he jumped out of her hand.

"What are you doing?!" Dave yelled, confused.

"I'm hugging you" said Ariel.

She cocked an eyebrow as Dave's siphons dropped with guilt and remorse.

"You've never been hugged before? Not even your mother?" she asked.

Sighing sadly, Dave rubbed his head.

"No" he moaned. "I lost my mother when I was taken away from the ocean at a young age."

Hearing this, Ariel's eyes widened with shock. She's never heard of a sea animal taken away from their mother at a young age. What kind of human would do that?

Then, she gently placed a finger on him.

Touched, Dave curled a tiny tentacle around Ariel's finger, with the tip touching her fingernail.

His three hearts started to beat fast as he looked in Ariel's eyes.

He thought of the time when he was the total package back in the zoo...

He thought of the sadness he suffered for ten years...

He even thought of the first time he met this sweet, innocent, beautiful, young child...

Of all the things that he has done evil business and nearly harmed someone, Dave felt something he hasn't felt in a long time...

Was it happiness? He wasn't quite sure.

After a long silence, Dave smiled at Ariel.

"So..." Ariel said, finally "You feel better?"

"Yes" Dave answered. "Wanna get supper?"

* * *

That night, Dave and Ariel had supper together.

With her parents still asleep, Ariel had made herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and milk to go with it. She was already in her nightdress, but she didn't mind a bit. Dave had gotten himself a nice plate of the remaining fired chicken.

The two were telling stories of each other's lives and told some funny jokes, laughing until their sides were sore.

"That is so funny!" Ariel laughed, after hearing a joke from Dave.

"I know, right?" Dave agreed.

As soon as Ariel took a sip of her milk, Dave quickly took a dip in his "tank."

"Again! Again!" Ariel cheered.

"Okay. One more joke, but that's it" Dave answered.

Ariel waited patiently.

Then, Dave cleared his throat.

"What did the seal study in school?"

"I dunno. What did the seal study in school?" repeated Ariel.

"Art! Art! Art!" barked Dave, imitating a seal.

The two laughed their heads off.

"Get it? Art, arf?" Dave asked.

"Yeah" laughed Ariel.

Then, the two were finally able to relax.

To Dave, it felt like it has been a long time since he had fun.

"So, how did you get so small, Dave?" Ariel said finally.

"Do you anything of the mutant penguin attack?" the octopus asked.

"Uh-huh. I was there."

"I delivered the penguins to New York's Battery Park as Dr. Octavius Brine. But instead of penguins, there were monster penguins. But, one remaining penguin reversed the process."

"But, how did you get inside the snow globe?"

"I don't know. I must been out cold when I was on top of the ray."

Ariel now knew what happened, but she wasn't going to get upset over it.

"You mutated penguins out of jealously?" she asked nervously.

"Yes... No..." answered an insecure Dave.

Then, he sighed at his own frustration.

"It's complicated when you're alone most the time of your life."

Ariel knew how Dave felt.

"Everyone in New York, expect than my friends, think that I'm a strange child" she frowned. "But I don't think they were being nice about me."

Dave was dumbfounded. The other humans don't see Ariel as a monster, but strange?

"Your city sounds terrible" said Dave sarcastically.

"That's nothing" Ariel replied. "Some people that my parents know say that I have a kind and steady heart."

"That's good. There should be some kind people in this world."

Ariel began to yawn.

"Tired?" Dave asked.

Ariel nodded.

Understanding, Dave slipped back into his jar and watched as Ariel got up and placed the dishes in the kitchen sink.

"Dave?" Ariel peeped.

"Yes?" Dave answered.

"Will this be the only time I hear you?"

"I'm not sure. I just hope it's for a short while."

"Okay."

Ariel got in bed and covered herself with the blanket.

"You know, Ariel" Dave yawned. "I'm still not even sure why the penguins threw the snow globe to you. I didn't ask for a sister."

"Maybe for a friend?" Ariel suggested.

"Yeah. Maybe."

Dave yawned and sunk to the bottom of the jar.

"Goodnight, Ariel" whispered Dave.

"Goodnight, Dave" Ariel whispered back.

The two friends fell fast asleep.

* * *

 _ **To be continued...**_

 _ **To honor John Malkovich, I made some references from of his other movies.**_


	9. Dave's Heroic Effort

_**Happy New Year!**_

 _ **I am proud to finally to have the next chapter up after a long couple painstaking weeks of Christmas and my birthday (back on Dec 28).**_

* * *

The next day, Ariel and her parents decided to do lunch in their favorite restaurant, the Southy Country Fired Chickria. Dave decided to come along and rode on Ariel's shoulder.

After lunch, Dave and Ariel were able to have a conversation to themselves while her parents were talking.

"So, do you and your parents often go to this Southy Country Fired Chickria?" Dave asked Ariel as she and her parents were walking through Times Square.

"Yeah" said Ariel. "Once in a while. The chicken is so good, it could give anybody a big belly."

Dave's eyes went wide as saucers.

"Wow, a full meal." he said in awe.

"Yeah!" Ariel agreed.

But then as they passed by a couple streets of stores, Ariel's parents stopped and turned their attention toward their daughter.

"Ariel, are you excited?" her mother asked.

"Uh-huh" Ariel nodded.

"Look, hon, your mother and I are sorry that we slept last night" her father.

"But, my work with helping the poor..."

"And my work at Wally's Mall is helping us, so we can..." Mrs. Hara continued.

"Spend time with you."

"I understand" Ariel answered.

Suddenly, Dave was swatted off Ariel's shoulder and onto the pavement!

The Haras gasped in horror.

"Oh, my gosh!" cried Mrs. Hara

"Dave, are you okay?" Ariel asked fearfully.

"I'm alright" Dave responded.

Ariel was relieved, but her father scolded at a boy, who was older than Ariel and he was holding a water bottle in his hand.

"What is your problem?!" he said, angry.

"What?!" cried the boy. "I saved your kid from that large spider!"

Then, he pulled out a glass jar.

"It's a fine spider and I'm gonna catch it to add to my collection."

"Noah, you leave it alone!" Mrs. Hara said, raising her voice.

Dave yelped and ran off.

"Lemme see the stupid spider, Ariel" said Noah.

"He's not a stupid spider" Ariel answered.

"You're right. He's not a spider. He's a stupid sewer rat!"

This made Ariel really angry.

She viciously grabbed the jar, but Noah wouldn't let go. The two fought over the jar.

Seeing this, Dave saw this as an opportunity to do something. He crawled up a drain pipe and jumped onto a tray cart holding a toy tea set.

Meanwhile, Mr and Mrs. Hara tried to separate Ariel and Noah, but the two kids were too strong.

"Give it back, strange girl!" yelled Noah.

"No!" Ariel cried. "I won't let you!"

Blending his skin in within the color of the teapot, Dave cared aimed his siphon and yelled...

"WATCH OUT!"

Ariel and her parents ducked their heads as ink flew past them and...

SPLAT!

...landed on Noah's face, in his eyes.

"Ah! Get it off, get it off!" Noah screamed.

He ran away, crying loud and clear as day.

"MOMMY!"

The Haras sighed in relief, and then Ariel approached the tea tray cart.

"Come on, Dave" she whispered. "I know you're there."

Dave exposes himself from his camouflage and crawled out to Ariel.

"Hi" he said weakly.

Mrs. Hara smiled to see the one who saved her daughter's life, but Mr. Hara was shocked.

"Ariel" gasped Mr. Hara.

"No, it's alright, Chris" Mrs. Hara reassured him. "That little octopus is Ariel's friend she found inside the snow globe."

"But-But... How is it possible?"

"She'll handle the little guy. I promise" said a voice.

Ariel looked up to see a kind pet store clerk at the door.

"I saw what happened and from the look of it, your daughter's little friend's sneak attack shows that he is fond of her" she said.

"Really?" Ariel asked in surprise.

"Really, really."

Ariel smiled brightly as she picked up Dave.

"So, sweetie" said the clerk to Ariel. "Can I get you anything for your friend?"

Dave gasped.

 _Nobody has given me anything_ he thought to himself.

Ariel had to think carefully.

"Hmm... Maybe a fish tank for him to have room to swim around?" she said.

* * *

After they returned home, Ariel and her parents worked together to set up the fish tank.

They placed gravel, clean water (with a pinch of salt) and a couple of other things like small toys and fake seaweed and coral.

Once they were done, Ariel slowly poured Dave into the tank.

"Oh. My. Word." Dave gasped with a surprised look on his face.

"Do you like it?" asked Ariel.

It took a moment for Dave to remember the first time he was brought to the Central Park Zoo and how he was able to adapt.

"YESSS!" he shouted, splashing in and out of the tank. "I love it! I love it! Thank you!"

Ariel giggled and both of her parents smiled warmly.

"See you later, Dave!" Ariel called.

When Ariel and her parents left the room, Dave laughed and splashed around again, happy as a dolphin. Then, he looked out the window and sighed.

His world has finally changed for the better.


	10. Octopi Chase

_**Dave belongs to DreamWorks Animation.**_

* * *

Ever since the day they first talked to each other, Dave and Ariel became close friends.

For three weeks, the Hara family worked together to help Dave feel comfortable around the apartment.

They fed him meat, gave him fresh water mixed with salt everyday, Ariel played with him whenever she could. Even on days that Ariel has school, Dave didn't have to worry; she promised that she would never tell anyone about his criminal past or his ability to talk to her.

But every once in a while though, Dave would explore the apartment to places that he has never seen before.

Because of this new life of luxury and living a life surrounded by humans once more, Dave was so happy and he so adjusted to this new environment, he didn't have to worry about the Penguins, or the North Wind ever again.

One day, Dave was all on his own.

Ariel was at school and Mr. and Mrs. Hara were visiting an old friend of theirs who had worked in the Central Park Zoo, way before Alex the lion arrived. So since the family was gone, Dave had the apartment to himself.

He first checked to make sure the door was locked, so he was safe and secured.

"Door locked, check" Dave said to himself.

After securing himself, Dave turned on the computer and, thanks to the three weeks of technology education from Ariel, was able to open Mrs. Hara's music app for some relaxing music.

Once he had the music set up, Dave took a large bowl from the cupboard and filled it with water (with some salt), and then he took the dish soap and made himself a nice bathtub for him to relax in.

And just as he was completely relaxed and settled in, he sighed in content.

"This is the life" he said.

After a long hour of relaxation, Dave soon fell asleep.

He was soon rudely waken by a loud, gentle knock on the window above the sink.

"What was that?" Dave asked.

Carefully climbing out of the bowl, he pulled a large kitchen knife from the sink to defend himself against whoever the intruder is.

"I'm warning you!" Dave shouted at the window. "I've got a knife and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Outside the window, the intruder broke its camouflage, revealing itself as a familiar owl.

"I am not here to harm you, Dave" she said in a Russian accent. "Pleaze, put your weapon down."

 _Oh, no_ thought Dave. _They've must have found out about the snow globe breaking._

"May I come in?" asked Eva, politely.

Rolling his eyes, Dave dropped the kitchen knife and opened the window, letting Eva in.

"I don't want to rush you, but you have to leave before the Haras come back" said Dave nervously.

Eva flew in and landed on the kitchen table.

"What do you want?" Dave asked defensively.

"You're not in trouble, Dave" answered Eva. "But, the North Vind heard about your henchmen attacking your human friend."

"Yes..."

"And how you managed to stand up to them."

Dave was surprised. He thought he was going to be in BIG trouble as he hated the North Wind, but not as much as he hated the penguins.

"So, I vanted to check you under Agent Classified's orders" continued Eva.

"Look, I'm fine" snapped Dave. "Other than them intentionally breaking the snow globe, I'm fine. I'm not a baby."

"Well, you have been turned cute."

"It doesn't matter!"

Then, a loud SPLAT hit the kitchen window.

"Please tell me that you came all by yourself" moaned Dave.

"I did" replied Eva.

Unsure of who was at the window, Dave looked up at Eva, then the kitchen knife, and back to Eva.

Eva nodded her head, allowing Dave to pick up the kitchen knife.

"Show yourself!" shouted Dave.

Then, two of his former henchmen emerged from the cupboards!

"Ah! YOU AGAIN?!" screamed Dave, his voice filled with terror. "Back off!"

The two octopi bubbled something that Eva didn't understand.

"What did they say?" she asked Dave.

"They said I'm coming with them either I like it or not. Well, it's not happening. Ariel has changed me and I am not leaving her."

The octopi henchmen frowned and bubbled angrily, with only the word "Malkovich" is audible.

"Hey! Leave John out of this!" snapped Dave.

Then, the door opened and Ariel entered the kitchen.

"Hello! I'm home!" she called.

"Ariel!" gasped Dave, nervously.

The girl noticed that Dave was not alone, he was with Eva and his two former henchmen.

"Dave, what is going on?" asked Ariel.

"Run, Ariel, run!" cried Dave.

"Bhbhhhbbhh!" said the lead octopus. (Get her!)

The other octopus jumped down from the counter and slowly crawled towards Ariel.

"Dave?!" Ariel started to shriek.

"Run, little one!" said Eva as she flew out the window.

The henchman leaped to capture Ariel, but she dodged in the nick of time and picked up Dave.

"Bhhbbhbhhbbbhh!" growled the lead octopus. (After them!)

Ariel ran as fast as she could with the octopi henchmen in hot pursuit.

"Who are they?" whispered Ariel to Dave.

"My former henchmen" answered Dave.

"They're fill of ink and vinegar. Go to the bathroom!"

"But, I don't wanna go."

"No, I mean go _into_ the bathroom."

Ariel quickly ran towards the bathroom.

"Bhbhhbh!" said one of the octopi minion. (In there!)

The two octopi ran into the bathroom, but Ariel wasn't there.

Confused, the octopi looked around the bathroom; they checked under the sink, the shelf and the toilet.

But as the two leaned over the toilet, Dave carefully broke his camouflage and used a couple of his tentacles in a leg wrestling position, flipping his henchmen and they fell into the toilet.

"SWIRLY!" shouted Dave.

He bounced on the handle and the octopi screamed as they went down the drain.

Ariel climbed out of the bathtub and raced to Dave.

"We did it!" cheered Ariel. "High five!"

"Uh... I don't think so" said Dave. "Not where my tentacles touched the..."

"Oh, yeah, sorry."

But before they could leave, the octopi emerge from the toilet, making Ariel shriek.

"Not again!" yelled Dave.

Ariel grabbed Dave and ran out out of the bathroom.

The chase started again, this time throughout the hallway of the apartment.

As Ariel ran as fast as she could until she could hide in the elevator, where her heart started to race with each step.

"Dave..." she said, panting. "I can't... run... any... longer."

Worried for his friend, Dave wrapped a tiny tentacle around Ariel's finger.

"It's gonna be okay, I promise" he said in a soft voice.

Once they reached to ground floor, Ariel and Dave ran for the entrance of the apartment.

"I think we lost them!" Ariel cried.

However, the octopi henchmen popped up from the air vent.

"We didn't!" panicked Dave.

Ariel ran to the corner of the street.

"What are we gonna do? I'm tired from running" Ariel whispered to Dave.

He wasn't sure what do to, but Dave wants Ariel to be safe from harm.

"Look, my henchmen want me, right?" he said. "So, throw me to the middle of the road while the traffic light is red and when the light turns green, the cars will squish them."

Still insecure, Ariel carefully eyed the road, where the cars are passing by.

"Ready" announced Dave.

Ariel quietly counted to three and threw Dave to the middle of the road. She quickly raced across the crosswalk, just as the traffic light turned green.

Seeing their boss in middle of the traffic, the octopi raced toward the road.

But before they could approach Dave, a large black Ford car ran over them, killing the henchmen on impact, but missed Dave.

More cars crashed into the Ford, horns were honking loudly and people started to complain. Ariel shrieked in terror from the sidewalk.

"What was that?" asked the driver, climbing out of the car. "Are you okay, kid?"

"Yeah, I think so" replied Ariel, picking up Dave.

"Oh, man, what's the hold up?" said another driver, climbing out.

"I think I hit something" said the first driver. He turned to Ariel. "Did I hit somebody?"

"Yes. Yes, you did" Ariel said, out of breath and innocently. "Thank you!"

As soon as she left, the driver looked to see the octopi crushed under the tires. The other drivers gasped in shock.

"We'd better call animal control" said one, nervously.

* * *

 _ **That was close one, wasn't it?**_

 _ **To be continued...**_


	11. Ariel's Secret

_**I am really, very sorry for the long wait, things are getting complicated; with the play I'm in and some personal stuff.**_

 _ **In this chapter, things are going to change with a BIG turning point!**_

 _ **Dave belongs to DreamWorks Animation.**_

* * *

After Ariel's parents got home, everything went smoothly once more.

Dave returned to his tank while Ariel had dinner with her family.

At the table, Mr. Hara suddenly had an idea.

"Hey, Ariel, how about the three of us have a family movie night?" he said.

"Really, really?" smiled Ariel.

"Really, really, really."

It was very exciting that Ariel thought of something.

"Is it okay if Dave join us?" she asked.

"Yeah" answered her mother. "I don't see why not."

The young girl started to clap and cheer wildly and ran to her bedroom.

"I don't know where she gets that from" said Mr. Hara, smiling.

Inside her bedroom, Ariel ran towards the fish tank where Dave was sleeping.

"Dave! Dave! Dave! Guess what, guess what, guess what!" Ariel shrieked with excitement, bouncing up and down.

The small octopus moaned and rubbed his eyes.

"Wha... What is it, Ariel?" Dave yawned.

"We're gonna watch a movie tonight!" answered the child..

"Oh, really? What's the movie about?"

Ariel took a deep breath to calm down her excitement over the movie before explaining to Dave.

"It's about a wild horse who gets captured by soldiers and befriends an Indian brave."

Dave's eyes widened with surprise.

He has never seen a movie in his entire life, 'cause he was an animal. And animals rarely have the luxury to have entertainment.

"Uh... Yes. Yes! Of course I'll join you!" he shouted, excitedly.

"Yay!" cheered Ariel, who clapped her hands.

"What time?"

"The movie is on TV, it starts at 6:30."

"6:30 sounds good to me."

* * *

That night at 6:30, the Haras were together on the couch and Dave sat close to Ariel, sitting inside a glass.

Right in the middle of the movie, Mr. and Mrs. Hara were fast asleep, but Ariel and Dave were still awake.

"How do you like the movie so far, Dave?" Ariel asked, quietly.

"Oh, it's good" Dave whispered back.

Then as Ariel ate a handful of popcorn, Dave was worried of something.

"Listen, Ariel" he said nervously. "If I were ever changed back to my normal size, would you still like me?"

Ariel was concerned.

"What? Why would you say that?" she asked.

"I was worried that if I ever change back to my monstrous size" said Dave, slowly. "And if I did, I'm scared that you would never be friends with me anymore."

"Don't say that!" cried Ariel.

"Well, that's how I feel."

"I know. But when we first met, I didn't think you were a monster."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And if you do change, I'm gonna love you forever and ever."

Dave felt like all of his three hearts started pumping again.

"Thanks, Ariel" smiled Dave. "You're the first human who really understands me. I think that shooting star really helped."

"Actually, that's not true."

"What?!" gasped Dave.

Then, it hit him.

Ariel can talk to animals!

"Since when?" asked Dave.

"When I first found you inside the snow globe. It was fizzy at first, and then when you talked to me, it's clear."

"All this time... Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was scared" sniffled Ariel, beginning to cry.

The news shocked Dave, but seeing Ariel upset made him nervous. But, he knew what he had to do.

"Oh, it's okay, sweetheart" cooed Dave. "It's a gift, you can't object it."

"That's what my mommy says" Ariel said, finally calming down.

"And she's right."

The two friends comforted each other and once the movie was over, they went to Ariel's bedroom.

"Do you really like the fact that I can talk to animals?" asked Ariel.

"Are you kidding?" chuckled Dave. "I've never met a person who could talk to us before."

"Yeah. Nobody knows how I got it, but my parents are the only ones who know my secret."

"Wow."

Ariel got dressed for bed and Dave slipped out of the glass and gently touched her hand with a tentacle.

"I'm really glad for once that I'm stuck with you" he admitted.

"Me too" smiled Ariel. "Promise you won't leave."

Hearing this, Dave blushed a little.

"Well, I would get arrested here" Dave said softly.

Ariel giggled a little and then, she yawned and slowly laid her head on the pillow. At instant, she fell asleep.

For the first time in his life, Dave felt like his life was complete.

He found a friend that would love him for who he is and he didn't have to worry about the penguins or the North Wind.

Curling up against Ariel's arm, Dave snuggled close to her and fell asleep.

Mr. and Mrs. Hara peeked from behind the doorway and smiled as their daughter and her little octopus friend slept together.

* * *

 ** _To_** **_be_** _**continued...**_


	12. Halloween

It was a normal autumn day, people ran into the Central Park Zoo and saw the newly arrived penguins.

Confused, Dave swam up to the surface and saw four little puffball penguins.

"Just, uh, smile and wave, boys" said Skipper. "Smile and wave."

 _What are these penguins doing here?_ Dave thought to himself.

Then, he turned to see the human crowd cheering on the baby penguins.

"They're so cute!"

"They're so adorable!"

"Have you ever seen anything so adorable?"

His three hearts sank.

And then, ropes appeared and seized Dave around his neck and tentacles.

He was pulled out of the tank and thrown into a small tank.

Darkness and the images of the Penguins, the North Wind and the humans who abandoned him surrounded him.

"Monster!" shouted the humans.

"You're the monster!" screamed Kowalski.

"You savage!" snarled Short Fuse.

Dave's skin turned pale as the heads spun faster, screaming hurtful words and laughing evilly.

Then, a voice screamed at him.

"DAVE, WAKE UP!"

Dave shot up awake and yelped.

Ariel held him in her hands.

"You okay?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah, I think so" Dave said, panting. "What a nightmare."

Then, Ariel placed him back into the fish tank and smiled.

"Do you know what holiday is coming?" she said with a cheerful smile.

"What? National Candlelight Day?" Dave frowned.

"No. Halloween is coming!"

"Oh, Halloween. Sounds fun."

"What's wrong with that?"

Dave sighed and turned to Ariel with sad eyes.

"I was first removed from my tank on Halloween."

Ariel gasped. She never knew a holiday would be something that Dave detest the most.

"I'm sorry" she said. "I didn't know you hate Halloween."

"No, no, I don't hate it" Dave ensured. "I just hate being reminded on the day I was taken from my home."

"Well, I won't let you be remember that. It's a day where kids like me go trick-or-treating and dress up."

As soon as she left the room, Dave frowned.

"She's certainly in the Halloween spirit" he said to himself.

Later that day, Dave had decided to help Ariel gut out a pumpkin.

"What kind of Jack o' Lantern face should I do?" asked Ariel.

"Anything you want I guess" replied Dave. "I haven't done Halloween stuff in my life, but I'm a fast learner."

"Really?"

"Hmm-mm."

Then, Ariel had an idea.

"Dave, you wanna try carve a face out the pumpkin?" she asked.

"I could try" nodded Dave.

Taking the cutting tools, Dave went right to work.

He dove into the pumpkin and started carving from the inside.

Ariel watched in amazement as pumpkin pieces flew onto the table until the pumpkin finally had a scary face carved out.

Dave squeezed out of the mouth and cleaned the remaining pumpkin guts off himself.

"Ta-da!" he sang out.

"Wow! That's scary" Ariel gasped in awe.

"See I told you I'm a fast learner."

Ariel giggled as she picked up the pumpkin.

"Mommy! Daddy! Look what Dave and I made for a Jack o' Lantern!" she cried.

As soon as she left the room, Dave began to clean up when he started to cough, which suddenly became choking.

Suddenly, his large eyes began to glow pink, then green as he jumped out of control and then fell on the floor, leaving ink on the floor.

Dave snapped out of it and then saw his reflection on the floor. His eyelashes were gone and he has grown an inch and a half.

"What the heck just happened?" he asked himself.

Then, the Haras walked past him.

"Come on, Ariel" said Mrs. Hara. "Let's go get your Halloween costume before you're late for school."

Gasping, Dave quickly hurried himself by cleaning the remaining pumpkin pieces on the table and then ran back to his fish tank before the Haras noticed.

However, Eva was watching from the window and gasped softly.

"Oh, no" she whispered.

Then, she flew down and noticed a spot of Dave had accidentally left when he fell on the floor. But it wasn't a normal blue, it was a odd color of pinkish-green.

Eva scooped up the ink and threw it into a bag.

"The North Wind must know about this."

* * *

In her bedroom, Ariel got her costume packed in her backpack.

"I can't wait for the Halloween field trip!" she said, excitingly. "My teacher said we are gonna see a play about the history of Halloween and it's gonna be awesome!"

"Good for you" smiled Dave.

Ariel quickly stroked Dave's head before running out the door.

"See you after school!" Dave called out.

Chuckling softly, he settled in.

"What can go wrong on a day like today?" sighed Dave as he crawled to the corner of the tank and fell asleep.

Outside the apartment, Ariel ran like the wind and joined her friends as they climbed on the school bus for the play they've been anxious to see since their teacher announced it the week before.

* * *

 _ **Something's wrong is happening to Dave. Why is he changing?**_

 _ **To be continued...**_


	13. Transform Attack

At North Wind HQ, Eva brought the example of ink to the best experts in all of the North Wind industry.

After a couple of hours and a half, they brought the news to Eva and Classified.

"What have you found?" asked Classified.

"I'm afraid the immeasurable cuteness within Dave the Octopus is starting to wear out" one of the experts explained.

"What?! But, how? The cuteness Private used is permeant."

"Somehow one his minions slipped a drop of 'cuteness antidote' while he was asleep."

The agents gasped.

"No, this can't be" whispered Eva.

"It's all right, Eva" Classified assured her. "It wasn't your fault."

"I tried to catch them before I threw him out the window, but his tentacles must have placed the antidote in."

Classified was upset himself.

Sure, he doesn't like Dave, but he had to do something about it. He then turned to the experts.

"Is there a way to reverse the process?"

"Not at the moment" said the expert. "We had trouble experimenting the ink and we found nothing."

"But he will continue to grow and change back to his normal self within every holiday starting Halloween" said the other expert.

"Halloween? That's today!" gasped Corporal.

Then, Corporal screamed, grabbed a glass lid and started to stress eating.

"Ah! He's stress eating again!" yelped Short Fuse.

"Corporal, Short Fuse, both of you out" ordered Classified.

Nodding silently, Corporal and Short Fuse left the room.

"Yes, he will change every holiday occasion every twelve hours" continued the first expert.

"He won't be able to control himself" added the second expert.

Classified shook his head.

Eva was slightly concerned of what she's hearing.

Then, the experts explained that if they don't find the antidote, Dave will change back to his normal, ugly self. And if they don't hurry, Dave's cells, infected by the cuteness and the chemical given to him, would explode like firecrackers and possible kill him.

"How long will the growth affect Dave?" asked Eva.

"According our analysis, he will change again on Thanksgiving and then right into Christmas!"

Upon hearing this, Classified realized that the process of Dave's change is slow, but he'll be running out of time.

"Blast those octopi!" he seethed. "If we can find the antidote, will it change him back into a small, cute octopus?"

"Yes" said the experts. "But you must hurry before it's too late."

* * *

That night, Ariel had returned home from trick-or-treating with her friends, still dressed as a fairy.

Dave was watching from inside his tank.

"Ariel, I give up, who are you suppose to be?" asked Dave.

"Tinker Bell" smiled Ariel.

"Tinker Bell? Sounds cute."

Ariel giggled at Dave's comment and then changed out of her costume.

Then, all of the Haras went into the living room to watch their two hour Halloween movie marathon to finish their night.

But, Dave decided to stay inside the tank and go to sleep early. He had enough craziness for one day.

As soon as he curled himself into a ball, he started to cough and choke.

"Huh?"

Dave woke up and checked himself.

"Odd. Nothing's happened."

Then, he went back to sleep.

Suddenly...

CRUNCH!

Dave looked at himself in his reflection in the tank.

His teeth have grown back.

 _Well, at least I can chew again_ he thought to himself before going back to sleep again.

But then, he started to yelp and scream in his sleep, his eyes glowed bright pink as he flew out of the fish tank and onto the floor.

"Ow" groaned Dave as he struggled to get up.

He started to bounce out of control and crashed into the kitchen.

"Ugh, what's happening to me?" Dave asked himself.

Scared, Dave tried to call for Ariel, but then his eyes began to glow from pink to an eerie green and his voice became distorted and echo-y.

Classified and Eva watched from Ariel's bedroom window.

Eva gasped in shock.

"Oh, God" groaned Classified.

Suddenly, Dave went flying into the living room, bouncing back and forth, up and down, dumping the Halloween candy.

Mr. and Mrs. Hara gasped in horror, but Ariel shrieked.

"Dave, what's the matter?" Ariel tried asking.

"Ariel, get away from that thing!" panicked Mr. Hara.

He picked up Ariel and held her in his arms.

"No!"

"Chris, please!" Mrs. Hara pleaded.

Dave continued to scream in pain and agony as he flew out of the living room and back into Ariel's bedroom.

While the Haras complained at each other about Ariel safe or not around her new pet, Classified opened Ariel's bedroom window and lowered his head.

"Dave? Dave! Snap out of it!" he said, almost frightened.

And then, Dave stopped bouncing and his eyes returned to normal. He has grown another inch bigger, almost half the size of a cat.

"What have I done?" Dave asked himself.

"Nothing. Your former octopi allies have spilled the cute antidote into your fish tank" Classified replied.

"How? Ariel and I tricked them into running across the street in traffic."

"No, one of them have managed to get away with it."

Dave started to breathe heavily, his skin turned white.

Eva then flew into the room and gently placed a wing over Dave's body.

"There, there" cooed Eva.

Dave slowly calmed down and his skin returned to its natural purple color.

"David, listen to me" Classified said slowly.

"You are starting to change back to your natural form and your cells can't take any more of the combination between Private's immeasurable cuteness and the chemical your henchmen gave you."

Dave frowned.

"If we don't find the antidote to turn you back into your cute self, you might die."

Hearing this, Dave's eyes widen with fear and hid under Ariel's bed, whimpering.

Eva poked under the bed.

"Dave? Can you at least tell us what the antidote is?" she asked nervously.

Dave shook his head.

"I- I can't remember" he sobbed.

Then, Eva suddenly had an idea.

"We'll leave you alone tonight, but in two days, I will return and I hope to see you with the girl."

Dave slowly nodded.

Just as Eva left, he heard Ariel's voice.

"Dave? Dave?"

His eyes filled with tears, Dave slowly crawled from underneath the bed.

"What's going on?" Ariel asked, her voice filled with concern.

"I don't know" Dave replied. "But I think my cuteness is wearing out."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but I was told the vet will arrive in two days."

Ariel was afraid, but she tried to struggle with what's happening and her parents arguing about Dave staying or leaving the house.

It was going to be hard, she had to try to brave until the 'vet' arrives.

* * *

 _ **To be continued...**_


	14. The Hara Family Fight

The next morning, Dave was pacing back and forth, waiting for Ariel to show up.

She had said that she would talk with her parents about using something for Dave to swim in until they could find a better, roomy tank for him.

"Come on, come on" he muttered himself.

At that moment, Ariel and her parents entered the room.

She was carrying a bucket, much to her father's concern.

"This should help him for the time being" said Ariel's mother.

"Wait, Abby" her father protested.

Ariel had already placed the bucket on the floor.

"Here you go, Dave" she smiled cheerfully.

Curious, Dave climbed out of the fish tank and then slid into the bucket.

As he popped his head out of the bucket, Ariel gently touched Dave's head.

The octopus slowly lowered his head, onto Ariel's tiny hand.

But then suddenly, Ariel's father grabbed the bucket and pulled it away from Ariel.

"Daddy!" whined Ariel.

"Christopher James Hara, what is wrong with you?!" shouted Ariel's mother.

Realizing that he has been moved, Dave glared at Ariel's father, hatefully.

"He's too dangerous" Ariel's father tried to explain. "You remember what happened last night, Ariel."

"No!" Ariel protested. "He's an innocent being like us."

Dave nodded in agreement, only to be thrown out of the bucket by Ariel's father.

"That octopus is not innocent, Ariel, he's not even a house pet." he said. "We should probably call animal control or call the zoo."

Hearing this, Dave blew a raspberry at Ariel's father and scattered out of the room.

Ariel quickly followed him, close behind.

"Chris, there maybe something wrong with Dave" said her mother.

"And Ariel told me that a special veterinarian will be coming here tomorrow morning while we're at work."

* * *

In the bathroom, Ariel quickly turned on the water in the tub and added a pinch of salt in.

"He's a wild animal, Abby" said Ariel's father from the other room. "We can't have him loose in the house."

"Hey, we're loose in the house at night sometimes" argued Ariel's mother. "And Ariel sleeps just fine."

Ariel turned off the water and splashed Dave in the face.

"Thanks, I needed that" Dave sighed in relief.

However, he began to rubbing his mouth in pain.

"Dave, what is it?" Ariel asked worriedly. "Are you teething?"

Dave quickly nodded and reached a tentacle for something.

"Hang on, Dave, I'll go get something!" Ariel cried.

She bolted out of the room and quickly came back with a raw marrow bone in her hands.

Anxiously, Dave took the bone from Ariel and started to bite it like a dog, accidentally splashing water out of the tub.

"Since I'm growing back, Ariel, my teeth are growing back in and it hurts!" complained Dave.

"It's gonna be okay" promised Ariel.

But then, Ariel's father came into the bathroom and saw the mess.

"Hey!"

He snatched the bone from Dave and drained the tub.

Scared, Dave desperately tried to set up the water again, only to be grabbed by Ariel's father.

"Ariel, this has gone to far" frowned her father.

He carried the struggling Dave out of the bathroom despite the octopus' attempts to grab walls and slapping the human holding him.

"Look at him. He's growing too fast and he could outgrow the house! We _have_ to get rid of him!"

Ariel didn't like what she was hearing.

"No! He's a poor animal with no parents and I found him!" she shouted, standing her ground.

Just as her father was about to open the door, Ariel blocked his path.

"Ariel Hara, get out of the way now!" ordered her father.

"No!" shouted Ariel.

"He has to go! He's a wild animal. Now, get!"

"I said no!"

"Ariel!"

"No!"

Dave saw this as an opportunity to escape from Mr. Hara's grip. He slowly squeezed through Mr. Hara's hands and slithered away.

"Keep this up, Ariel, and you'll be grounded from TV" frowned Mr. Hara.

Then, he realized that Dave was out of his grip.

"Hey! Where did he go?"

As soon as Dave entered Ariel's bedroom, Mrs. Hara slowly picked him up and brought him back into the bathroom.

"It's okay" she cooed. "You're safe with me."

Dave was amazed as he watched Mrs. Hara turn on the water, filling it up and adding a pinch of salt in.

Suddenly, they heard a scream!

"Oh, no" gasped Mrs. Hara. "Ariel."

Worriedly, she ran out of the room, leaving Dave alone.

In the kitchen, Mr. Hara has grabbed Ariel by the arm and then made her sit in a chair.

"Now you listen to me, young lady" he said. "We can't keep him and that's final!"

But then, Mrs. Hara came into the room.

"You listen to me, Chris!" she hollered, grabbing him by the shirt collar.

She pulled him out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Dave is what makes Ariel happy and she knows what he wants and needs. The vet will come in and check on him and figure out why he's acting like this."

"Are you crazy?!" asked Mr. Hara. "Don't tell me that Ariel pulled you into this!"

"No, but I've seen what they've been doing and if you separate them, she won't be happy and neither will that octopus!"

This made Mr. Hara furious.

"If you don't get rid of him, I'll have you on file with the HSUS!"

But Mrs. Hara wouldn't listen.

"Get out, Chris! she said, pointing at the door.

Mr. Hara huffed and walked out of the apartment with a loud slam of the door.

When Mrs. Hara came into the bathroom where Ariel and Dave were, she sighed.

"Your daddy is leaving us" she said to Ariel.

"What?" Ariel said, shockingly. "Can't he tell us that he's sorry?"

Her mother sighed sadly.

"I hope he does" she replied. "You know, Ariel, grown up problems are a bit more compilated than you think."

"Okay" Ariel nodded.

"It's completely different from children problems."

"I understand."

Ariel frowned and dipped her hand in the tub, then she felt something touching her cheek.

It was Dave's tentacle.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay, dearest" smiled Dave.

Ariel, feeling a little better now, hugged the tentacle touching her cheek.

They knew that some people may not understand, but Dave and Ariel knew one thing: they have each other and her mother to help them along the way.

* * *

 _ **To be continued...**_


	15. Bad News

Later that day, Mr. and Mrs. Hara went to court to fill a divorce. In the end, Mrs. Hara had full custody of Ariel.

Once the divorce and other court stuff were taken care of, Abigail returned home and helped Ariel with taking care of Dave.

They were setting up a container for him to sleep in for the night until the 'vet' would arrive the next morning.

And sure enough the next day, Eva arrived at the apartment.

"Hello, little one" she said to Ariel.

Ariel waved her hand, feeling a little nervous for Dave.

"Now, my dear, as you know a little that Dave is starting to change."

"Back to his normal self?" Ariel asked nervously.

Dave nodded his head in agreement.

"Yep" he said.

Then, Eva started explaining that the immeasurable cuteness within Dave the was starting to wear out since his henchmen have managed to slip a drop of 'cuteness antidote' while he was asleep.

Ariel gasped.

"Is there a way to reverse the process?" she asked.

Eva shook her head and continued on the details such as that Dave will continue to change every twelve hours on each holiday occasion.

"But if we don't feed Dave the antidote, his body cells would explode from the chemical and he will die" replied Eva.

"DIE?!" Dave and Ariel shouted with fear.

"Yes, since the chemical has been combined with the cuteness, it's giving Dave an unusual infection that he cannot control."

Scared, Ariel hugged Dave.

"Oh, Dave, I'm scared" cried Ariel.

"I know, dearest" Dave replied. "I'm scared too."

Eva watched with a worried look as Dave embraced Ariel.

After a while, she handed Ariel a list of what to do or not to do if Dave gets out of control during Thanksgiving or Christmas and then she flew away without saying goodbye.

That night, Dave went to bed without supper. He was scared of what's happening to him.

* * *

 _ **Aww... Poor Dave. What do you think will happen next for Ariel and Dave?**_

 _ **To be continued...**_


	16. A Thanksgiving Delight

**_Happy early Thanksgiving Day to everybody!_**

 ** _Everyone stay warm, enjoy your turkey and place in the comment box what you're thankful for._**

* * *

It was the day before Thanksgiving Day and Ariel helped her mother cook a tableful of food for the holiday.

They made turkey, cranberries, homemade pumpkin pie, gravy and chocolate pudding.

It wasn't until Ms. Hara noticed that Dave was sulking.

She knew what was wrong because Ariel had told her about what was happening and Dave might not live to see Christmas.

Then, Ms. Hara had an idea.

"Dave, would you come out here?" she asked gently.

Hearing this, Dave nervously climbed out of the bucket of water and crawled into the kitchen.

"Could you please help us by pealing the potatoes and while that's on the stove, could you help make the gravy?"

Since Ms. Hara couldn't hear Dave like Ariel does, so he nodded and immediately started to wash four of his tentacles.

 _I can't believe Abigail wants me to help_ Dave thought to himself.

And at instant, Dave used two of his clean tentacles to hold the potatoes and the other two to peel the skin in the trash before he placed them on the stove.

Eventually, Dave and Ariel had to work hard since Ms. Hara's arms ached.

"What a good boy" smiled Ms. Hara, petting Dave's head.

After making the pumpkin pie, Ariel helped Dave make the gravy, homemade style.

"Ariel, could you please pour some milk?" Dave asked. "The gravy looks too thick."

"Sure" Ariel replied.

As they continued to work hard and then finally, Ariel spoke.

"You're a good cook" she said.

"Oh, I normally let my henchmen cook on Thanksgiving" answered Dave. "But I never thought your mom wanted me to help."

"Yeah, Mom is a great cook. Not that you are not, you're doing great."

"I understand, Ariel, dearest."

The two smiled warmly at each other.

"So, what are you thankful for?" asked Ariel.

Dave wasn't sure how to answer Ariel.

For years, his three hearts was filled with hatred and revenge on all penguin kind (mostly on Skipper and his brothers). But he didn't want to hurt Ariel or her feelings.

"You know, Ariel" he finally said. "All I can say is no matter what happens, I'm thankful that you found me in the snow globe."

Ariel was surprised, but she felt happy to hear that come out of Dave.

Dave reached a tentacle and hugged Ariel.

Ms. Hara watched from the doorway of the kitchen and smiled warmly.

* * *

The next morning was Thanksgiving Day.

Ariel and her mother woke up and greeted each other a Happy Thanksgiving and woke up Dave.

"Rise and shine, Dave!" shouted Ariel excitedly.

"Huh? What time is it?" asked Dave.

"It's Thanksgiving! It's Thanksgiving!"

With a loud yawn, Dave stretched his tentacles.

Suddenly, Dave's eyes glowed pink then green and grew to the size of Ariel.

"Oh, no" he moaned.

"It's okay, Dave, maybe watching Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will help a little" said Ms. Hara.

And with that, they turned on the TV and the three watched the Parade together.

After that, Ariel had Dave join her mother and her for dinner, so he wouldn't be alone.

Dave accepted the invitation and when the sun went down, they ate a full Thanksgiving dinner meal since Ms. Hara didn't have any living relatives and divorced with Mr. Hara.

"Wow! These mashed potatoes are great!" shouted Ariel.

"Dave must learned from one of our cookbooks" smiled Ms. Hara.

The octopus smiled as he continued to eat the turkey which was his second favorite food aside from chicken.

They all ate until they were full and in time for Dave to go into another transformation attack just like back on Halloween night, but they had him jump out of control in the empty spare room. He changed again, this time he grew up to Ms. Hara's hip and his cute eyelashes vanished.

"Have they found anything to cure Dave?" asked Ms. Hara nervously.

"Not yet" replied Ariel. "I hope they hurry up."

Despite this, Ariel and Ms. Hara had Dave sleep in the bathtub for the night until they can think of something for him to stay in.

When Ms. Hara went to bed, Ariel decided to stay up for a little longer to comfort Dave until he fell asleep.

"I don't think I can eat like that again" Dave said, his head resting on the edge. "I'm stuffed like a turkey."

Ariel laughed, getting his joke.

"Wait until Christmas" she said. "It's bigger than that."

Dave moaned and his head sank to the tub.

Suddenly, Ariel smiled at something.

"Look! It's snowing!" she cried.

She pointed to a nearby window across from the bathroom.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes, it is" Dave answered, though he sounded upset rather than excited.

Ariel didn't understand, she touched Dave's tentacle.

"I'm fine, Ariel" he answered. "I'm just upset about the changes I'm going through. It has nothing to do with the snow or the snow globe."

"I was gonna say if it was the snow globe, I am really sorry" said Ariel meekly.

"It's fine. If my minions didn't interfere, I would been happy being here with you and everything I feared would be gone."

Hearing this, Ariel didn't realize that Dave was scared of what's happening to him.

And then, she hugged him.

"It's gonna be okay" she said. "Sure, there's something that's gonna happen, but maybe until that time comes we enjoy life while it lasts."

Dave was deeply touched and placed one of his tentacles on Ariel's hand that's hugging him.

"Yeah, maybe you're right" he agreed.

Soon, Ariel was getting tired and fell asleep, her head against Dave's chest on the bathtub rail.

Dave was surprised at first, but he slowly slipped a tentacle under Ariel's head as if it were a pillow and placed his head against hers.

The two friends slept together.

Eva watched from the window, knowing that Dave has truly changed, thanks to Ariel.

It was only tonight that their friendship grew stronger, it's only the worse to wait.

* * *

 _ **To be continued...**_


	17. The Best Christmas Season (Or Is It?)

It was now a week before Christmas and Ariel and Ms. Hara were decorating the entire house.

They cranked their favorite holiday music on and they got down to business.

Dave of course was a _BIG_ help on some of the things that Ariel or her mother couldn't do since Chris left them like placing the garland on the ceiling and placing the lights and ordainment balls on.

Sometimes, he'll get some of Ariel's animal friends from the park to help whenever he was alone in the house.

The Haras worked hard with all their might. They decorated, they shopped/made special presents for their loved ones and they put up the tree, singing all the way.

After all that hard work provided, Dave was given a piece of leftover chicken as an reward.

Later that day, Dave and Ariel decided to out outside and build a snowman. But, the only problem thing was Dave didn't want to freeze since he's a sea animal, so he took a large hat, an old scarf Chris left behind and wrapped a warm little quilt around him.

"Ready to make a snowman?" Ariel asked excitedly.

"Yes" Dave smiled as he carried a large bucket with a lid on top. "I'm ready as I'll ever be."

They raced downstairs to the front of the large apartment, with coal and a couple of buttons from Ms. Hara's sewing kit.

Just as they got the head of the snowman, Gabi and her mother were passing along.

"Hi, Ariel!" she called.

"Hi, Gabi" Ariel responded cheerfully as usual.

"Whacha doin'?"

"Dave and I are building a snowman!"

Gabi remembered Dave when the girls had the indoor camping night. Ever since then, she promised Ariel not tell anyone about him.

"You want some help?" asked Gabi.

"Oh, yes please" nodded Ariel. "We're missing some things. So far we've made the snowballs."

The two girls were thinking until Gabi pulled a carrot from her mother's shopping bag and placed it on the snowman's face.

"Now for the eyes" Dave muttered to himself.

He placed the coals on for eyes above the carrot nose.

"Hey, nice job, Dave" laughed Gabi.

Dave bowed as if he were a show performer.

Ariel and Gabi giggled, thinking Dave's bow was cute.

Finally, Ariel decided to use her hat for the snowman, but couldn't reach.

So, Dave, being tall, lifted Ariel to the top and she placed the hat on the snowman.

Gabi clapped with joy, seeing the snowman completely finished.

"Thanks for helping" smiled Ariel, as she waved goodbye to Gabi.

"You're welcome" Gabi answered back. "And merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!"

Once they got inside, Ariel helped Dave with the bucket, which had a gallon full of water to soak him with.

"Ah, better" sighed Dave. "What can be better than this?"

* * *

Meanwhile in downtown New York, the North Wind landed their plane in the dark and Private hopped out.

"Are you sure you want him to do this?" Classified asked Eva.

"Yes, I'm sure" she replied. "Private said he's willing to help the little girl since Skipper, Kowalski and Rico refused."

Private was given a backpack to carry things and a small piece of paper.

"Is this the antidote?" Private frowned.

"Yes" said Classified.

"The researchers worked their blood and sweat into this list for a month. Once you find these ingredients, follow the instructions correctly and make sure Dave drinks it _before_ Christmas."

"Aye, aye, sir" saluted Private.

The little penguin waddled away, but what he didn't realize was that someone was watching him in the shadows.

"Poor, poor little penguin" said the stranger in a French accent. "Thought you could get rid of me... What a cliché."

* * *

 _ **Will Private help Dave and Ariel before it's too late? Who's the stranger in the shadows? Stay tuned...**_

 _ **To be continued...**_


	18. Escape

Finally, it was only five days before Christmas and Ariel was out of school for Christmas Vacation.

Ariel couldn't wait until she got home, she made a very special present for Dave and even wrapped it in wrapping paper with a pretty bow.

Back at the apartment, Dave was waiting for Ariel to arrive home.

Suddenly he heard knocking, but it didn't come from the door. Dave knew that Ms. Hara always locked the door when she and Ariel were out shopping or whatever human activities they were doing.

Dave turned around and then screamed when he saw Private!

"Hello" said the penguin cheerfully.

"You again?!" Dave shouted angrily.

Private could only smile and wave.

"What are you doing here?!" growled Dave. "If Ms. Hara catches you here, she will call animal control!"

"But, Dave, you should be grateful" protested Private. "You're not in the snow globe anymore and I heard that the girl loves you."

"Well, yeah! No carp, Sherlock."

Then, Dave turned his face away from Private, angry but feeling something else.

Private finally spoke.

"I brought your medicine for your body" he said. "Classified said it will stop the chemical from harming your cells, but it won't stop the transformation."

Hearing this, Dave slipped out of his "tank" and started to drink the antidote until it was all gone.

"Were you afraid that I would turn you in?" asked Private.

"No" sniffled Dave.

"I just can't bare to fight myself against the emptiness and loneliness inside me since I first came here. Everyone made the monster statement clear to me in my entire life. But when I met Ariel, I changed plans of revenge."

"But what made you change?" Private frowned.

"Her kindness and innocence" replied Dave. "But that doesn't stop me from hating penguins like you."

Private couldn't forget that, he remembered how he kidnapped all the world's zoo penguins.

As he continued, Dave then felt upset and his voice started to shake.

"But now that I learned that my body is affected by the chemical my henchmen gave me, I'll have to make the hardest decision" he said.

Dave explained that he always wanted to see the place in the ocean where he was hatched, but he felt conflicted. Ariel was the one who's changed his life and he doesn't want to leave her. He was worried if anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself again.

"It's like... so many voices ringing through my head" sobbed Dave. "I can't get it out."

Private was touched as he slowly approached Dave, but the octopus turned away.

"Maybe I _should_ turn myself in like the unloved monster I am" Dave whimpered.

But when he was about to jump towards the window, Private blocked his path.

"No, Dave, you can't do that!" said Private.

The penguin then pulled a pair of cute puppy-dog eyes.

"BUT I AM ANYWAY!" Dave snapped angrily.

Sad and angry, Dave slipped away from Private and ran for the bathroom, passing the living room where Ms. Hara sat, only to bump into Private in the doorway.

"Dave!" cried Private. "I know what happened to you was frightening and horrible and traumatic, but you can't take it out on innocent, cute animals after what you've been through!"

"I don't care!" snapped Dave. "All I ever wanted was to be loved! And I was by all humans until you took everything away from me! You ruined me!"

Annoyed, Dave climbed onto the tub, then on the sink.

Private could feel how deeply upset Dave was. He was someone who was abused, and abandoned, and unloved. But he wasn't going to let the octopus throw away his life again.

"But it's never too late to be loved!" said the penguin. "I mean Ariel already loves you."

"Private, no one else could ever love me!" hissed Dave, ready to slide into the toilet bowl.

"I would... for who you are."

Dave then stopped and looked up to Private on the sink.

"Just give my brothers and I a chance" continued Private. "We gave you to Ariel while you were in the snow globe."

Hearing everything that Private said to him, Dave felt warm inside and realized that he was right. But he didn't want to admit it towards Private since he hated penguins.

Finally making up his mind, Dave was about to flush himself down the toilet when Private's flipper grabbed his tentacle.

"Don't make the same mistake again" interrupted Private. "If you say that you _can_ blame us penguins for your tragic past, you're gonna lose Ariel."

Moved, Dave sighed and then climbed out of the toilet, cleaning himself with soap and warm water.

After a quick moment, Dave exchanged a grateful nod towards Private.

"The North Wind said they'll find something to change you back to your cute self after Christmas" Private said, before slipping out of the bathroom.

Once he was gone, Dave thought over everything that the little penguin has told him. Should he really stay with Ariel?

And then, he jumped when he heard the door open.

"Mom, Dave! I'm home!" said a familiar voice.

Ariel came running into the living room and hugged Ms. Hara.

"How was school?" asked her mother.

"Good" smiled Ariel.

"Are you excited for Christmas?"

"Yeah!"

Throughout the entire day, Dave and Ariel played together.

Ms. Hara, on the other hand, was making adjustments for Dave since Ariel was told that he was given a cure for his body. But she, too, was worried if Dave was ever going to turn back to his cute self.

She truly was a loving mother to Ariel and really didn't want anything to happen to Dave. She knew Ariel needed a friend, no matter how different it was to other people.

Sometimes, Ariel helped her mom with her creativity like using a glass candle jar for placing food in the tank by pull string and using a toy train to pull Dave if he wanted to get to the kitchen or the living room, activated by a Robe Goldberg contraption.

Soon, it was evening and Ariel fed Dave some Christmas goodies she didn't like.

"Mmm..." said Dave. "This is good. Let me guess. Is this a peppermint candy cane and a sugar cookie?"

"Uh-huh" nodded Ariel. "I made sure you didn't have anything chocolatey."

"Ah! Thanks."

Then, Ariel felt uncomfortable about something. She had a bad feeling of something.

"Did somebody come to cure you?" she asked.

Dave stopped eating, feeling uncomfortable himself.

"Yes" he finally said. " It was one of the penguins that I hated and he gave me something to stop the chemical from harming my body cells. The North Wind hasn't found a cure to change me back to my cute self."

"Wait a minute. Does that mean you're still gonna change?"

"Until they can find a way to change me back."

Suddenly, they heard a knock.

Ms. Hara just woke up from her nap to answer, so Ariel went to answer.

"May I help you?" Ariel asked, almost frowning.

"I've come to exterminate a pest in zhe apartment" said the woman, grimly.

"Pest? What pest?"

"Zhe penguin. Where is he?"

Ariel was just told by Dave that a penguin gave him the cure. She quickly darted her eyes around the house.

"No, there's no penguin here."

"Ariel, who is it?" asked Ms. Hara.

When Ms. Hara approached the door, she gasped in shock and pulled Ariel away.

"Excusez-moi, Madame" said Ms. Hara. "But you I'm afraid you have the wrong floor."

"Non" answered DuBois.

Dave gulped at the tone of Dubois' voice and changed his skin color to match the wall of the living room wall.

"Madame, I know your child has been keeping an octopus here" continued DuBois. "I've caught all of them running wild in New York. You will hand the octopus over to me so I may place him where he belongs."

Ariel and Dave gasped and remembered when they tricked his henchmen to running into the road and head up getting hit by the car.

"The ocean?" frowned Ariel, pretending to be stupid.

DuBois chuckled and then grinned evilly.

"No, my dear. On my wall."

But then Ms. Hara grew angry.

"On who's order?" she growled.

"You can't have him!" shouted Ariel.

Hearing this, DuBois was enraged. She looked like she was ready to kill somebody.

"Ariel, get outta here now!" whispered Ms. Hara.

Without thinking twice, Ariel stamped on DuBois' foot and ran off.

DuBois growled and entered the apartment.

"Come back, you little revolting carpet mouse!" barked DuBois.

Ariel grabbed Dave from the wall and picked him up, despite being larger than her and heavy.

"Ah! Ariel, what are you doing?!" gasped Dave.

But she didn't answer, only to run out of the bedroom and past DuBois, who was in combat against Ms. Hara, who was as Ariel put it "the most awesomest and the powerfulest" black belt in all of New York City.

Ms. Hara tried to overpower DuBois, but the older woman was stronger than her.

"Mom, what should I do?" cried Ariel.

"Just get out of the house where she can't find you!" answered Ms. Hara.

Fearless but unsure, Ariel quickly took the time to run out of the apartment with Dave in her arms and winter hat, coat and mittens on.

DuBois knocked Ms. Hara to the ground, but realized that Ariel was gone.

"Well played, little girl" she grinned, before frowning. "Have it your way."

She walked out of the apartment, ready to search for her prey.

Ms. Hara got up from the floor.

She knew that having Ariel run away from DuBois was the smartest choice she ever made, but she was fighting with the animal control woman and forgot to have someone go with Ariel.

"My poor Ariel" prayed Ms. Hara. "Please be safe."

 _ **Will Dave and Ariel escape to safety? Will DuBois win? (I hope not) Should the North Wind help our heroes?**_

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	19. Eva To The Rescue!

Ariel ran as fast as she could until she came across a restaurant and hid Dave in her coat.

"At least it's warm in here" smiled Ariel.

"Yeah, and at least that crazy animal killer won't find us..." Dave said from inside the coat. "For now."

A long silence followed as Ariel tried to warm herself up.

"This is a restaurant, not a hotel, honey" said a voice.

Ariel's eyes went wide and looked up to see a waitress at the counter.

"Sorry" apologized Ariel. "I was just trying to hide from the storm."

"Where's your parents?" asked the waitress.

"My mom's looking for me, we're also hiding from her ex-friend."

Scared, Ariel thought up a lie about DuBois.

Now, normally Ariel was a bad liar about her mother and father, but was good at lying about her ability to talk to animals and Dave's secret.

"Because she thought she and my mom would be, uh... more than friends" continued Ariel.

And her fib fooled the waitress.

"Until your mother gets here, you can stay here as long as you like" she said.

"Thanks" sighed Ariel.

But then, DuBois entered the doorway, forcing Ariel to hide behind the counter.

The girl tried to scream, but Dave placed a tentacle so she wouldn't.

The octopus was more frightened than Ariel.

 _If only I had my Dr. Brine disguise_ , Dave thought to himself.

But then, he remembered the time when his wig fell off his head.

 _Dr. Octavius Brine was getting ready for another donation for NPR pledge drive, but didn't realize that his wig fell off while he was adjusting his tie._

 _He was about to head out when he opened the door and the sunlight hit his bald spot._

 _All the octopi started to scream as if to say "Bald! Bald! Bald! Bald!"_

 _One shrieked in agony as if to say "MY EYYYYEEEESSS!"_

 _Even the cricket in the sub couldn't handle the brightness and hopped away._

 _Luckily, Brine found the wig and left the submarine for the pledge drive._

After that experience, Dave always made sure he had something to hook his wig to his head.

DuBois searched the entire restaurant, looking for Ariel but wasn't smart enough to look behind the counter since the waitress slapped her hand from searching underneath there.

 _Thank you, God_ Dave thought to himself.

"Are you gonna order something or what?" the waitress snapped at DuBois.

"Shut up" replied DuBois as she went out the door.

"And a bah humbug to you too!"

As soon as DuBois left, Ariel crawled from under the counter and sighed in relief.

"I see why your mom isn't into her" chuckled the waitress.

"Yeah, Mom's not into that stupid stuff _she_ does" giggled Ariel.

"Ariel!" called a voice.

Hearing her name being called, Ariel and Dave peeked outside to see Eva.

"Are you two all right?" she asked.

"We are now" sighed Ariel. "What's happening?"

"I do not know. But Private nearly escaped from that woman after sending the cure to Dave."

Dave then realized that Eva was alone.

"What happened to your fellow agents?" he asked.

"DuBois tranquilized them, only I escaped to save Private" replied the owl.

Eva then went on explaining how she was told about DuBois and how she somehow knew why DuBois was after Dave.

"Octopi loose in the city?!" screamed Dave. "But we got rid of my henchmen so they wouldn't find me again!"

"I'm afraid you only made it worse by having someone investigate the city" sighed Eva.

Then, Ariel thought back about her mom and a lot of questions ran through her head. _Is she okay? Did DuBois got her too? What about me and Dave? How will we survive the cold snow in a city like this?_

Eva finally spoke.

"Come with me" she said softly.

"What?" asked Dave and Ariel in unison.

"Come with me, I'll take you to North Wind Headquarters until we catch DuBois. It will be the last place on Earth that she'll ever look for you two."

Hearing this, Ariel smiled but then remembered something.

"But, my mom..." said the girl.

"You can call her when we get there" assured Eva.

Dave and Ariel shared smiles, they were they will be together for Christmas.

 _ **To be continued...**_

 _ **NOTE: Sorry if the chapter is short, but I was running out of ideas what to do here. I promise there'll be more in time for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.**_


	20. Christmas at North Wind HQ

When they reached North Wind HQ, Dave felt Ariel could be safe from DuBois and anything that could seriously harm her.

"Welcome to North Wind Headquarters" Eva said to Ariel.

"Wow!" smiled Ariel.

But Dave just ignored the girls. He remembered when he (while in his Dr. Brine disguise) was embarrassingly captured by Classified and his team. But the worst part he remembered was _how_ he was rescued by his minions.

When Eva brought Dave and Ariel into the investigating room where Classified and the other team members were waiting, the wolf gasped at the sight of Dave and was ready to attack.

"No, don't!" shouted Eva. "You will not harm them. There's more to Dave than you think, sir."

Classified growled viciously at Dave, who scowled back.

"Guys, please, come on" begged Ariel. "It's Christmas, we shouldn't be fighting like this."

Finally giving up, Classified walked away muttering to himself while Corporal was amazed about something.

"What?!" barked Short Fuse. "What is it?"

"Look" pointed the polar bear.

The two watched as Dave helped Ariel get her winter coat off and then she checked his tentacles to make sure he didn't lose any from DuBois.

"Nope, you still got eight" said Ariel.

"Thank you" Dave sighed in relief.

Seeing this, Corporal and Short Fuse were surprised while Eva simply just watched.

"Looks like Dave has found himself a soul mate" replied Eva.

Corporal and Short Fuse nodded in agreement, still surprised.

Throughout the entire day, they celebrated Christmas a little early and Eva gave Ariel a special present.

"What is it?" asked Ariel.

"It's an animal amulet" replied Eva. "To remind other people and animals how special you are and what your talents are no matter what."

As Ariel placed her present around her neck, she smiled.

"Thanks" she said to Eva.

While all this was happening, Dave was given a cute serum that returned him back to his small and adorable self again. He was glad that he was like that again.

"I always hated being big" he admitted to himself.

For dinner, Dave was given a large supply of fish and chicken meat to last him almost the entire week.

And for a while, Dave and Ariel spent time together for the longest time since he shrunk back to his cute self.

* * *

Meanwhile back in New York, DuBois searched every corner of the city.

She knew she always gets her prey. Well... expect one time four defenseless escaped from her.

But let's not go there. We all know how it ended.

The minute she passed the restaurant she checked earlier, DuBois noticed a white feather on the ground.

Like a hound, DuBois smelled the feather and tracked down the owner.

"Voila" DuBois smiled evilly. "Snow owl has taken my prize."

Then she noticed a drop of ink sitting in the snow.

DuBois examined the ink, all though the taste of the subject wasn't so great for her.

She was so lucky she wasn't tasting the venomous salvia, which could have killed her in about two to three seconds flat.

Putting all the pieces together, DuBois finally realized where the octopus is hiding and laughed evilly.

Seeing this from an apartment above the restaurant, Ms. Hara gasped and ducked back inside the house before DuBois could even see her.

"What is it, Abigail?" asked the man beside her.

"I better call the owner of that restaurant" Ms. Hara said to herself.

Pulling her cell phone, she dialed the number.

"Mrs. Randolph? It's Abigail Hara" she said on the phone strictly. "Oh, yes. I'm all right. But listen, um, I want you to know that someone is having a party."

"A PARTY?!" shrieked Mrs. Randolph's voice on the other end of the phone.

Ms. Hara flinched but remained calm.

"Yep, and they're having it in your restaurant."

"IN MY RESTAURANT?!"

"Yes, you might want to take care of it."

"YOU BET I'LL TAKE CARE OF THAT INTRUDER!"

Mrs. Randolph hung up on Ms. Hara.

"Oh, boy" groaned Ms. Hara.

"There will be blood on the streets" replied the man.

"Yep."

And soon enough, they heard crashing and yelling, they could tell that Mrs. Randolph was attacking DuBois until she threw the animal control officer away and landed in a truck filled with manure.

"AND STAY OUT, YOU CREATURE KILLER!" shouted Mrs. Randolph.

"Thanks, Mrs. Randolph!" shouted Ms. Hara.

"Anytime, Abby sweetheart!"

* * *

That night, Ariel and Dave were so tired that Eva had to take them to an empty guest room since Classified refused to let them sleep in one of the agents' bunks.

The young girl dressed herself up for bed while Dave started to fill a large fish bowl with warm salty water.

He was placing coral in the bowl when Ariel finally spoke to him.

"Dave, do you think we'll return home?"

"I think so" Dave sighed. "I prefer a nice tank than an old fish bowl."

"Yeah, If I were an octopus, I'd feel the same way."

And then as Dave curled up against the glass, Ariel pulled the stand that was holding the fish bowl close to the bed.

"Thanks, Dave" smiled Ariel.

"For what?" asked a confused Dave.

"For being the best friend I could ask for and helping our family out. Mom hasn't had someone to help us out since... I can't even remember."

Dave felt good hearing what Ariel told him, then he felt his three hearts pumping harder as if they were about to explode.

 _So this is happiness_ Dave thought to himself. _After all these years._

Ariel tucked herself into bed and then yawned softly, but felt something wet touching her.

It was Dave, who smiled gently and said:

"Ariel, I should be the one thanking you for being the only friend I could ever have."

"No problem" yawned Ariel. "That's what friends are for."

The two friends soon fell fast asleep, wrapped in each other arms in a warm embrace.

* * *

 _ **To be continued...**_

 ** _I hope you enjoyed this chapter, 'cause next time will be an unexpected surprise._**

 ** _Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!_**


	21. The Toughest Choice

Christmas came and left and then finally, it was the new year.

Classified had Ariel and Dave sent home, after scanning for Dubois' location. So far, they found it safe.

Once they returned, Ariel reunited with her mom. But their happiness didn't last.

Ms. Hara has received word that Dubois had the chief of the New York Police Department to give an order to destroy Dave.

"Destroyed?! Dave?" gasped Ariel. "He didn't even do anything!"

"I know, sweetie, I know" cooed Ms. Hara. "Knowing half the woman she is, she's a wicked old witch."

"And an animal killer!"

Dave was panicking, his skin turned pale and he was breathing anxiously.

"Panic attack!" he said, having trouble control himself.

Ms. Hara, seeing Dave in this state, handed a paper bag for him to breathe in. She knew he didn't have lungs, but she couldn't find something else to do.

"What are we gonna do?" Ariel asked in a frightened voice.

"I don't know" Ms. Hara replied. "We'll think of something before tomorrow morning."

But Dave felt sad deep inside. He knew that Ms. Hara didn't really know what to do and that she was scared herself.

* * *

Later that night, Ariel was fast asleep until she heard a loud splat.

She turned her head to see Dave on the floor.

"Dave? What are you doing?" she yawned.

"I hate to do this, but I'm leaving so they won't find me."

"But where are you going?"

"The ocean."

Ariel sat up in surprise.

"The ocean? But, will I see you again?" she asked.

"I hope so, but I don't want you following me" replied Dave. "That's how Dubois will find me."

Ariel was hurt, but she somewhat knew what Dave meant. She maybe five years old, but she wasn't stupid.

"I'm sorry, Ariel, but I have no choice and I don't want you getting hurt" apologized Dave.

"It's okay" replied Ariel. "Promise you won't forget me."

"I'll never forget you. My concern is when Dubois will give up on finding me."

That made Ariel realize that she may never see Dave again.

She placed a finger on Dave's head. Then, he placed a tentacle on her finger.

They shared a sad smile, knowing that they will remember each other if they're far apart.

"Oh, I almost forgot" gasped Ariel.

She placed a present in front of Dave.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Now?" frowned Dave.

"I forgot about it when Dubois came over, so open it. Please?"

Dave quickly ripped the bow off and dug into the wrapping paper until he felt something.

"Huh? What's this?" asked Dave.

He pulled out a small seashell choker. The large seashell in the middle was green while the rest were dark blue.

"A choker?"

"Uh-huh" nodded Ariel. "I made it myself while I was at school."

"And the seashells were real, right?"

"Yeah, I found them at the beach and I painted one green."

Dave was truly touched of this precious gift.

"Ariel" he finally said. "I-I... I don't know what to say."

"Just something to remember me by" smiled the girl.

Hearing this, Dave sighed happily and placed the tiny choker around his neck.

Without saying a word, Dave and Ariel embraced each other, tears in their eyes.

"I love you" whispered Ariel.

"I love you too, kid" sniffled Dave.

The minute they pull away, Dave gazed at Ariel for the last time and then crawled to the window.

He pushed it open and then crawled away.

Ariel slowly closed the window and stared outside, thinking of Dave.

"Goodbye, Dave" she said sadly.

* * *

Out in the cold snow, Dave had managed to sneak into the ocean.

He swam to the bottom of the sea to where his once beloved submarine sunk.

Sad and tired, Dave swam to what used to be his room and nestled against the covers and pillow.

But he couldn't sleep. His mind was still on his decision and of all that happened because Skipper threw the snow globe to the little girl, who suddenly changed him back into the kind and happy octopus he was long ago.

 _Was I seeking love or_ revenge? Dave thought to himself.

The little octopus raised his head towards a hole in the submarine where the moon shined from the surface.

Sniffling, Dave crawled back into the covers and started to cry in his sleep.

He made his decision, but it was the hardest one he ever made in his entire life. But one thing was clear, he wanted to be home again.

 _ **Aww... Poor Dave.**_

 _ **To be continued...**_


	22. The North Wind's Plan

Meanwhile, the North Wind were doing their normal thing, watching for alerts when they heard a knock on the door.

"Come in" said Classified.

An older snowy owl entered the room, he was older than Classified and much wiser than all the agents in the North Wind.

"North Wind" he said in a gruff voice. "I have bad news, the child and the octopus have been separated."

"What?!" gasped the North Wind.

"The insane animal control officer had orders from the New York City Police Department to take him away from the girl to make sure he was destroyed."

"I thought they stopped destroying animals a long time ago" Corporal whispered to Short Fuse.

"Where is Dave now?" asked Eva.

"Last I knew, he ran away from home and fled to the ocean, not far from New York" the owl agent replied.

"We'll have someone search for David immediately" said Classified.

The owl agent nodded with respect and then he flew away.

But the minute the door closed, Classified's smile dropped.

"I'm starting to get worried" said Eva. "We need to do something about Dubois."

"And how to get Dave back to Ariel without a problem" added Corporal.

Classified didn't like what he was hearing, but he knew that something had to be done.

"Where is the circus are those penwings running?" he asked.

"In the city of Chicago" answered Eva.

"Send in an agent to find Private, he's the only penwing I know who is not afraid of him."

"Yes, sir."

"And Short Fuse, you will provide some of your weapons to Private."

"What?!" shrieked the seal pup.

"I promise I'll get you another supply of weapons after this."

Short Fuse didn't respond, but motioned his flipper as if to say "more."

"Okay, okay, another supply of weapons and five weeks of one hour playing your favorite video game."

Short Fuse demanded for more.

Classified growled angrily and then gave up.

"Fine, a month."

Short Fuse finally agreed and went to set up his weapon supply.

"Once we reunite the unlikely friendship" said Classified, "we will find a way to stop the animal control officer."

* * *

Back in the submarine, Dave was tossing and turning in bed.

He was having a very bad dream. The worst nightmare he's ever had in his entire life.

It was back when he tried to stop Skipper and his penguins from returning the mutant penguins back to normal.

 _"It's over, Skipper"_

 _"Over? That's wired" mocked Skipper. "Then why is Rico throwing me a pair of double AAs?"_

 _The mutated Rico flew towards the ray and spat the batteries out, Skipper caught them._

 _At this rate, Dave screeched and knocked the remote out of Skipper's flippers._

 _"NO!" cried Skipper._

 _The octopus grabbed Skipper and Rico and threw them towards the exterminator trucks, then turned his attention to Private, who was inside the glass chamber._

 _He started to break the glass until he was able to enter the chamber, but Private used the butt-hand he grew and punched Dave out of the ray._

 _After the blast of cuteness blew, Dave was the ground, unchanged and with a sore mouth._

 _Enraged, he approached the Penguins with anger._

 _Then, they heard a scream!_

 _"Help! Help!"_

 _Dave turned to see Ariel held hostage by his henchmen._

 _"Help me!" she cried._

 _"Ariel" Dave gasped._

 _Suddenly, the Penguins and Dave heard evil laughing._

 _It was Dubois as she approached from behind the ray._

 _Worried, Dave started fighting his own henchmen and held Ariel._

 _"Oh, Ariel, you're gonna be okay" he sighed._

 _But, then he felt something touching him._

 _"Gotcha!" shouted Dubois._

 _Dave groaned in pain, accidentally dropping Ariel._

 _"You're mine, creature" sneered Dubois._

 _The octopus watched as Ariel was taken towards the ocean by the remaining octopus henchmen._

 _"Heeeeeellllllp" whined Ariel._

 _"NOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooo!" Dave cried in vain._

 _He glared at Dubois, ready to attack but only to feel pain._

 _"Say adieu, octopus" said Dubois, pulling out a needle out of Dave's tentacle._

 _Dave felt as his world came crashing down and he was surrounded by darkness._

 _He started falling down in the darkness, screaming until he lost his voice and a demon charged at him..._

Dave snapped awake, breathing slowly.

"Oh, what a nightmare" he groaned, rubbing his head.

He looked around in fear.

He was still in the submarine ruins, under the moonlight.

Poor Dave felt like his three hearts have been stabbed by a knife. He truly missed Ariel, but he made his decision. He won't return until Dubois has given up looking for him.

 _ **To be continued...**_


	23. A Sad Morning

The next morning, Dave woke up with a loud yawn.

It was a long night for him. Ever since that nightmare he had, Dave almost couldn't sleep.

Suddenly, he heard a splash.

 _What was that?_ he thought to himself.

Slowly and cautiously, Dave looked around the submarine.

His minions were captured by animal control, so there was no way they would find him there.

But as soon as he crawled out of the submarine wreck and stuck his head out of the water, the octopus gasped and saw Private.

"No, please don't hide" Private said gently. "I won't hurt you."

Dave only gave Private angry, hurtful eyes. He still didn't like penguins.

"I know you still hate penguins, Dave" continued the penguin. "But I'm here to take you back to Ariel."

"Ariel?"

Dave felt like his three hearts were pumping again once more but then he remembered something... Dubois.

"No, I can't" replied the octopus.

"The North Wind are planning to find Dubois" Private answered. "I promise."

But Dave still didn't budge. He was still too afraid.

"Dave, it's all right" Private said to him gently. "Just come with me and I'll take you home."

As Private slowly approached the edge of park, Dave started to panic and dove into the water.

"No, no, no! Don't go!"

But it was too late. Dave was already gone.

"Oh, dear" moaned Private.

He dove into the water after Dave.

* * *

Back at the apartment, Ms. Hara was sitting at the table, waiting for either Dubois or the chief of the New York Police Department to arrive.

Then, she heard a knock on the door.

Ms. Hara got up and answered the door. It was the chief of the NYPD.

"Abigail" he asked. "I've come to collect your daughter's pet octopus."

That was when Ariel entered the kitchen, heartbroken.

"He's no longer here" she said to the chief in a sad, mellow voice.

Now, Ariel wasn't a lying type, but she wanted to protect Dave from any harm.

"He's... dead. The octopus is dead. You don't need to worry about him anymore."

Abigail gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

The chief was not heartless as Dubois, he knew the Haras very well. He felt bad that Ariel had 'lost the only animal friend she's ever known.'

"I'm sorry to hear that" he said. "Truly I am. You two are in my prayers."

As soon as the chief left, Ms. Hara turned to Ariel.

"Did Dave really die?" she asked, wanting to know the truth.

"No, he ran away to the ocean" Ariel answered. "He didn't want to be found."

Abigail was sorry for Ariel. Sure, she had lost a pet too when she was her daughter's age, but she knew that Ariel and Dave always kept each other happy.

"Ariel... I may not speak with animals like you do, but all I know is that I'm sure Dave will be alright" she said gently.

Mother and daughter embraced.

 _ **To be continued...**_


	24. Dangers of the Ocean

_**Sorry for the long wait, so here's the next chapter**_

* * *

Private continued chasing Dave around the submarine, not letting him give space.

"Dave, please listen!" cried the penguin.

"NO, PRIVATE! If I go back, they'll kill me!" Dave snapped.

But then, something caught his attention. Sure, Dave didn't have a nose, but he could sense that food was coming.

Just then, a school of fish passed by, making Dave drool.

"Hello, lunch" he said, grinning and licking his lips.

Excited as an energetic puppy, Dave swam after the fish as fast as he could.

"Dave, no!" Private called, but the octopus didn't listen.

Private groaned in frustration as if to say 'not again.' He's seen this happened before with Alex the lion. Even now, Dave's instincts have kicked in.

"Private!" called a voice.

Private swam to the surface and found Classified and his team. They have captured Dubois, who was unconscious from a tranquilizer dart.

"Where's David?" asked the wolf.

"Dave's gone wild" replied Private. "I can't stop him."

The North Wind were concerned for Dave.

 _How long has he been in the ocean?_ they thought to themselves.

"We have got to grab him before he gets in trouble" Classified said to Private.

Private nodded and dove into the water.

Dave continued to chase the fish until he cornered them in a small crab trap.

"Oh, come to papa" Dave chuckled.

But before he could pounce on them, the door of the crab trap closed, trapping Dave and the fish inside!

The octopus screamed with fear as he shook the cage.

"Oh, no!" he cried. "Not again! Help!"

Private, hearing Dave's loud cries for help, gasped!

"We've got to help him!" Private said, panicking.

He dove into the water, but the North Wind were too nervous to move, they had Dubois with them and they didn't want to deal with more humans if they were any.

"Help me!" Dave's voice echoed in the distance.

Private swam as fast as he could, trying to reach the crab trap.

But then, a swam of seagulls swooped down and grabbed the trap.

"Food! Food!" they cried. "Come on, peck him away!"

"Help me!" Dave whimpered.

The seagulls were pecking him, hurting him that Private threw a rock that knocked the crab trap out of the sky.

"Ouch!" shrieked the seagulls. "You little son of a-"

The crab trap fell into the ocean with a loud splash!

Panicking, Dave swam out of the trap and escaped, climbing out of the water and ran past the North Wind.

"Wait! Where are you going?" asked Classified.

"I'm going back!" Dave called back.

Private cheered to himself.

 _Way to go, Private!_ the penguin said to himself, clapping his flippers.

The North Wind couldn't help but joke at Dave.

"Go on! Get out of here! Get, you purple smurf! Shoo!" they teased.

Dave kept on running, running as fast as he could.

He knew that he had to go home, seeing all the danger in the ocean such as traps and predators. He knew wouldn't stand a chance in the ocean being a small octopus like himself.

"I'm coming, Ariel!" he cried.

But then, he was grabbed by a gloved human hand.

Was it Dubois? No! It was a young person who worked for an aquarium rehabilitation system.

"Oh, poor little guy" she said. "I've got to get you some place safe."

The woman ran off, carrying Dave in her hands.

Private sensed that Dave will be all right, since the zoo they once lived had animal vets that helped them.

 _ **To be continued...**_


	25. Reunion

_**It has been tough for a couple of months for me. I had a hard time thinking, I have been dealing with personal family problems and I'm about to go back to work on the 2nd of June, so...**_

 _ **Here's the next chapter!**_

* * *

Ariel sat on her bed all by herself and stared out her window, her eyes and cheeks red from crying.

She didn't want to draw or watch TV or even read books. She didn't do anything at all, she truly missed Dave. Because their friendship bond was so strong and unbreakable, Ariel just couldn't forget him or the things they did together.

 _I miss that little guy_ Ariel thought to herself. _I'll never see him for who knows how long._

Ms. Hara tried her best to cheer up Ariel despite some of the things that she did to make her daughter laugh didn't work.

"I'm sorry, Ariel" cooed Ms. Hara, giving up. "I hate to see you like this."

She held Ariel in her arms.

Even if her parenting guide didn't have a chapter on what to do when 'your daughter's pet octopus left them', Ms. Hara still loved Ariel no matter what, whether she has the ability to talk to animals or not. She just wanted to see her child happy.

Soon the cell phone rang.

"Hello? Yes, this is the Hara house. Uh-huh. Yes, you may speak with her" answered Ms. Hara.

She gave Ariel the cell phone.

"It's for you, honey."

Ariel slowly took the cell phone from her mom.

"Hello?" she answered in her new sad voice.

"Ariel, it's Mai Ling from the high school" asked the caller. "Listen, do you remember me telling you that I work at the zoo on weekends?"

"Yeah, I remember you telling me."

"Well, I'm calling on behalf of Dr. Janet Diaz. She would like to see you and your mom at the zoo hospital."

"When?"

"Tomorrow morning, 10:30."

* * *

When Ariel and her mom left for the zoo hospital the next morning, they were unsure of what was the problem.

Soon enough when they entered the office, Dr. Diaz pulled out the seashell choker from her pocket and handed it to Ariel.

"Mai said you made this at school" she said to Ariel. "Is this true?"

"Yes, ma'am" Ariel replied nervously but politely. "But I made it for a friend. A small animal that I found like months ago."

Dr. Diaz nodded and then walked over to a counter.

"Then, I think I've found your friend" she said.

When she turned around, Diaz held something in her hands and placed it in Ariel's.

"Dave!" cried Ariel. "You're okay!"

"Ariel!" Dave shouted with joy.

The small octopus hugged Ariel's hand, feeling safe and happy.

"How did you find him?" Ariel asked Dr. Diaz.

"He was in the streets near Battery Park" smiled the vet.

"When I saw the choker around his neck, I said to myself 'that must be made by a small little girl' and I asked Mai if she knew anyone."

"Oh, thanks, Mai Ling."

Mai Ling chuckled, as if to say 'it was nothing.'

Then, Dr. Diaz picked up Dave and placed him in a plastic bag.

"I checked on him and it looks like you have keeping him healthy" she said to Ariel. "What have you been feeding him?"

"Fish" Ariel answered. "Most of the time he mostly ate raw chicken meat and shrimp from the fridge."

"That's clever."

"Thanks."

Dr. Diaz handed the bag to Ariel.

"Just find a way to tighten the cover of the tank, look online about octopuses if you're not sure of something and keep him away from other animals like dogs and cats" Dr. Diaz instructed.

And with that, Ariel and Ms. Hara thanked Dr. Diaz and Mai Ling, left the zoo and made a couple of quick stops like to the store, pick up lunch at a restaurant, then they returned home.

Dave was been relaxing ever since he was brought back to the apartment. He was resting inside his tank, the sunlight against his skin and eating a small cup full of popcorn chicken.

"Home at last" he sighed to himself.

At that moment, Ariel entered the room. She looked like as if she had been having fun with her friends, but that wasn't the case.

"Hey, Dave, guess what?" Ariel said excitedly.

"What?" asked Dave, confused.

"We're gonna move to a new house!"

She started jumping up and down all around the bedroom, screaming "YAY!" much to Dave's surprise.

"Really, we're moving?" frowned Dave. "Where are we moving to?"

"To a bigger house, silly octopus" Ariel answered. "Mom says we've gotta pack up before tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? We're moving tomorrow?"

"Yeah, the mover people will be coming to help us get our stuff to the new house."

Ariel then started packing away all of her toys and clothes in large marked cardboard boxes.

Dave on the other hand was surprised to hear this. He and the Haras are moving away to another place somewhere in New York City where hopefully nobody, not even the North Wind or annoying cute penguins, would bother him ever again.

 _ **To be continued...**_

* * *

 _ **Well, looks like we only have one more chapter to this journey, so please review.**_


	26. A Happy Ending for Dave

_**We finally come to the moment we've all been waiting for... the final chapter of our story.**_

* * *

The next morning, Ms. Hara and Ariel moved to their new house down on Avenue L in Brooklyn. Of course, Dave loved the luxury of the house where he can have at least one bedroom all to himself.

Nobody cared if Ariel had Dave as a pet. Ariel and Ms. Hara often disguised the room as an 'indoor swimming pool for fish', but not in a lying way.

One day after six weeks from moving into their new home...

"I'm happy!" shouted Dave as he splashed around in his new tank.

Ariel laughed and placed her hand into the large, 200 gallon tank to touch him while her mom fed him raw fish and shrimp.

"Silly cute old octopus" she giggled.

"Who are you calling silly?" joked Dave. "You're the one who's cute!"

The two laughed.

Ms. Hara chuckled to herself, thinking the interaction between her daughter and her friend was cute.

But at that moment, the window opened and the North Wind have arrived.

"David the Octopus" said Classified sternly.

Ariel and Dave gasped in shock as Eva flew over the tank.

Ms. Hara knew that this meant Ariel would have to talk with these animals, so she backed off and walked away into another room.

"We have an authority for your arrest" continued the wolf. "Reformed or not, you are coming with us. Eva!"

The owl swooped down and snatched Dave from his tank.

"But... But you can't take him away!" Ariel protested.

"We can't change the warranty unless someone has proof" Classified replied.

Upset, Ariel turned away and crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry, child" Eva said in a sad voice.

Eva placed Dave into a plastic bag held by Short Fuse.

"But I don't want to leave!" Dave whined. "I love this life! I love this house! Ariel, please don't let them take me away."

Dave, however, was turned by deaf ears as Short Fuse handed the bag to Classified.

The North Wind knew that humans should not know about an animal criminal and they were determined to finish their mission.

"I want to stay with Ariel!" cried Dave.

"Ariel doesn't want you" scoffed Classified. "Just listen to reason-"

They were suddenly interrupted by an angry voice.

"No! You listen!"

It was Ariel, who grew angry and stood up to Classified.

"Dave may have done horrible, evil things, but he's not like that anymore! He said that he wants to stay with me because I helped him! He loves me as much as I love him! If you take him, you're stealing! So, LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

The North Wind were stunned by Ariel's courage and bravery despite being a child.

"What can we do to make it right for both sides, sir?" asked Corporal finally.

"I don't know" answered Classified.

But then, an idea hit Dave.

"She can adopt me!" he said.

"Adopt you?" frowned Short Fuse.

"Well, the immeasurable cuteness is permanent" said Eva.

Classified thought this over, but he wasn't sure how to explain it.

"All my mom and I have to do is sign the papers" Ariel said excitedly.

After a moment, Classified lifted the plastic bag to face Dave.

"David, you have committed crimes that were illegal" he said.

"But for the past year and a half, you have truly changed and... I was too blind to see. The point is there is a price you have to pay for your deeds. either you come with us and stay imprisoned to think of what you have done... Or you can stay here and live a life with humans as you once did in the zoo. It's your choice."

Dave didn't move. He was so nervous but then something came to him.

But then, a memory came to him. A happy memory of him and Ariel bonding and all the things they did for the past year (and a half). And oh, boy were they happy together as time went by.

Then he finally spoke.

"All my life, I've been searching for something what I thought can be gained" he said softly.

"It took me long to see the love in front of me. And then, I found her. I found Ariel. She helped me understand the meaning of true happiness. And when I looked in her eyes, I could tell there was so much more. We bonded because of a friendship kind of love that would last forevermore."

Ariel sighed, touched by Dave's speech.

Even Eva, Corporal and Short Fuse shed a few tears.

"Who's got a pen?" Classified finally spoke. "We have adoption papers to sign."

Dave and Ariel gasped in surprise.

For the past hour, the North Wind had Ariel and Ms. Hara sign papers of adoption papers that would allow them to keep Dave forever until his life is done.

Once the papers were signed, Dave was released from his plastic prison and placed in Ariel's arms.

"Goodbye, little one" smiled Eva, who waved happily.

And then, the North Wind left the house.

As soon as they were gone, Dave and Ariel cheered loud and clear, bouncing around the house like happy rabbits.

For the rest of the day, the Haras had a party with slices of marble vanilla cake, milk and ice cream.

* * *

So, the warranty on Dave were dropped and Dave finally got his wish of finding happiness and all the love he ever wanted through the heart of Ariel.

And whenever Ariel was at school, Dave helped Ms. Hara with chores and reaching in places where she couldn't reach behind shelves and cupboards.

When Ariel wasn't in school or with her human friends, she decided to have fun with Dave as much as possible.

Mr. Hara often saw Ariel in the store with Dave on her shoulder. He wouldn't go over to see his daughter since his ex-wife had full custody on her and was afraid of scaring Ariel, but saw how the animal wasn't really dangerous. He realized he was wrong and forgave himself and hoped Ariel would forgive him one day.

Dave's former henchmen that were still alive returned to the ocean, though some missed their former boss but others were glad to be rid of him.

The North Wind had Dubois taken back to the island Madagascar where she will never escape or try to hunt down and kill animals (and permanently tied and gagged). Never to be seen or heard from, never to darken a bright sunny day again.

And Dave was never bothered by penguins and the North Wind ever again. So, life was once again good.

* * *

One night, Dave was sitting on the window sill, starring at the stars outside like he always does. But then, he heard footsteps.

He quickly blended his skin within the window frame, but realized it was Ariel.

"Hi, Dave" yawned the tired girl.

"Hey" replied Dave, who returned to his purple skin tone.

"Whacha doing?"

"Nothing. Just looking at the stars. As usual. What are you doing?"

"I can't sleep. Had a bad dream."

Dave sighed and placed a tentacle on Ariel's hand to comfort her until she felt better.

The two just stared at the stars for a long time.

"You know, I'm glad you found me, Ariel" Dave finally said. "I don't know what I would have done if I never met you."

"Me neither" agreed Ariel. "I never asked for a pet or a brother or sister, but it's good to have a friend like you."

"I guess it was fate. Or destiny. But hey, I'm no expert on knowing what God has planned for you and me."

Ariel giggled quietly and then held Dave in her hands, giving him a warm, not tight hug.

The hug felt comforting to Dave, it felt like being in the sun only it was less blinding for his eyes and warm in his three hearts.

"I'm always gonna love you" cooed Ariel as she kissed him on the head.

Because of their friendship and bond, Dave truly has changed for the better and found happiness just like Skipper hoped.

 _ **THE END**_

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 _ **I hope you enjoyed this story, if you loved it please review and check out my other stories.**_


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